NFL execs shocked by Jim Irsay's decision to hire Jeff Saturday as Colts' interim coach

The NFL world was shocked on Monday morning when Jeff Saturday was hired by the Indianapolis Colts as their interim head coach. Colts team owner Jim Irsay made the surprising announcement after first announcing that Frank Reich had been relieved of his head coaching duties.

Saturday, who was currently working as an NFL analyst with ESPN, has no prior coaching experience above the high school level. While he has worked as a consultant with the Colts in the past, this appears to be the first time that a NFL team has hired someone outside of the organization to take over the interim role.

What did NFL execs say about Jeff Saturday?

On Monday night, Jim Irsay officially announced Jeff Saturday as the Colts' interim head coach in an official press conference. Irsay stood by his decision to hire Saturday, although he didn't have any prior experience coaching in the NFL or even collegiate level.

Irsay said that he actually preferred that the former NFL center didn't have the "fear" that many coaches have and that he wouldn't be forced to be driven by analytics as many in the league are these days.

According to ESPN's Kimberly A. Martin, many NFL coaches and front office executives were unhappy with Irsay's decision about the hiring. Many called the entire announcement a 'mockery' and even chaotic at points.

"Texts from some NFL ppl during that #Colts presser included words like “mockery,” “insanity” and “chaos.” The Jeff Saturday hire upset a lot of coaches + execs (and not just minorities) … But Jim Irsay’s comments seems to have made it even worse."

Jim Irsay's decision to hire Saturday from outside the organization may have implications against the NFL's "Rooney Rule," which requires teams to interview at least two minorities as well as female candidates for open positions.

When asked during the press conference if he will adhere to the "Rooney Rule" when conducting an official coaching search after the 2022 season, Irsay said that he fully intends to do so.

Jeff Saturday's NFL career

Jeff Saturday played in the NFL for 14 seasons and is most recognized for being Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning's center. He played college football at the University of North Carolina, and despite his talent and ability on the offensive line, he went undrafted in 1998.

He was signed by the Baltimore Ravens as a free agent after the draft, but the team released him just weeks later. He actually went back to North Carolina and worked at an electrical supply shop.

In 1999, his former college teammate, Nate Hobgood-Chittick, told Colts general manager and team president Bill Polian about Saturday. Polian was intrigued and brought him in and signed him as a free agent in January 1999.

He started the 1999 NFL season as a backup but was named to the starting job in 2000, a position he kept for 12 consecutive seasons for the Indianapolis Colts. After starting 188 games with the Colts, he became a free agent before the 2012 NFL season. He signed with the Green Bay Packers on a two-year deal but decided to retire from the National Football League after the 2012 NFL season.

He won Super Bowl XLI with the Indianapolis Colts and was named to the Pro Bowl six times and was an All-Pro twice.

In 2015, the Indianapolis Colts named Saturday to the team's Ring of Honor.

Why was Frank Reich fired?

The Indianapolis Colts hired Frank Reich in 2018, about seven years after he was the wide receivers coach for the team. This was Reich's first position as head coach after previously being the Philadelphia Eagles' offensive coordinator.

Jim Irsay and the Colts decided to part ways with Reich as the team is just 3-5-1 through the first nine games of the season. Reich tried one last ditch effort to turn the team around last week as he fired offensive coordinator Marcus Brady and benched veteran quarterback Matt Ryan in favor of second-year quarterback Sam Ehlinger.

Irsay said at Monday night's press conference that it wasn't an easy decision to part ways with Reich but that he just had the feeling that it needed to be done in order to bring change to the team for the remaining eight games.

"There's no rule book that tells you, 'Now you should make a change. It's something from being in the league 52 years. It's intuitive," Jim Irsay said.

Reich's record during his tenure was 40-33-1. Irsay also said on Monday that he still has full confidence in general manager Chris Ballard. Whether that remains is to be seen in the offseason.