Why Chuck Pagano Hiring Means Peyton Manning's Time with Colts Is over

The Indianapolis Colts hired Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano as their head coach on Wednesday. That decision likely means the end of the Peyton Manning Era in the Circle City.

The hiring of Pagano likely signals a shift in philosophy for the Colts towards rebuilding the team's defense from the ground up. The 51-year-old defensive specialist has never been a head coach before and to me, that means the team will essentially be starting from scratch—to grow with its coach.

If that is the case, there is no room on the roster for a soon-to-be 36-year-old quarterback in the middle of a five-year, $90 million contract.

The Colts have the top pick in the 2012 NFL draft and if they indeed intend to hit the reset button on the franchise, the perfect way to do it would be with Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck on board.

Indianapolis has an aging roster that may not be ready to compete next season anyway. Had they brought in a head coach that had some connection to the franchise, that may have signaled that the Colts were willing to try and add a few pieces to compete now.

With Pagano on board, that is almost certainly not the case.

Indianapolis is taking a big chance on Pagano. He has only been a high-level coordinator for one year and has never been a head coach at any level. There will almost certainly be growing pains as he gets used to being the head guy and adjusting to all the responsibility that comes with that title.

With Pagano and new general manager Ryan Grigson on board, those two guys are almost certain to try and put their stamp on the franchise and bring in their own guys to fill important positions.

That's bad news for Manning.