We don’t know yet if the Indianapolis Colts will hire Jeff Saturday as their full-time head coach following his miserable interim run, but if they do, one NFL insider thinks it will make a “mockery” of the head coach hiring process.
While Saturday’s stint as an interim coach started well enough with a surprise victory over the Las Vegas Raiders, much to the delight of Jim Irsay, who took a lot of flak over the move. However, after that, it was pretty much a disaster as the Colts ended the season with seven-straight losses, including a 54-19 thrashing by the Dallas Cowboys and a 38-10 drubbing by the New York Giants.
There have been reports that Saturday remains “in the mix” for the head coaching job nonetheless. And while the Colts have technically satisfied the Rooney Rule by interviewing multiple minority candidates, there’s a sense that Irsay could keep Saturday on just because that’s what he wants. And given the larger context around the NFL and Black coaches, not to mention Saturday’s lack of experience or proof that he’s capable, that isn’t sitting well with a lot of NFL people.
“If the Colts end up hiring Jeff Saturday then that would not only make a mockery of the Rooney Rule, but it’d make a mockery of the entire hiring process in the NFL in general,” an insider familiar with the league’s hiring process told The Athletic’s Zac Keefer.
The sad part is that it’s entirely reasonable to assume that Irsay will justify keeping Saturday on in spite of all the valid reasons that he shouldn’t.