Indianapolis Colts officially hire Shane Steichen as head coach

INDIANAPOLIS — A coaching search that spanned five weeks and combed through 14 initial candidates has finally come to an end.

The Indianapolis Colts have announced the hire of Shane Steichen as their new head coach, putting the former Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator at the helm of a team looking to rebound from a 4-12-1 season and seeking long-overdue stability at quarterback.

The move completes Steichen's meteoric rise from quality control coach as recently as 2015 to now becoming one of 32 head coaches in the NFL.

The Colts will officially introduce Steichen during a news conference Tuesday afternoon with owner Jim Irsay and general manager Chris Ballard.

Although the Eagles' pursuit of a title fell short in their 38-35 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII on Sunday, Steichen received significant credit for the team's offensive resurgence the past two seasons. His ability to craft the offense around the talents of quarterback Jalen Hurts has been particularly notable, with Hurts joining Joe Montana and Steve Young as the only players to account for at least 370 total yards and four touchdowns in a Super Bowl.

Despite initial speculation that interim head coach Jeff Saturday was the front-runner for the job, the Colts followed through on their promise of a methodical coaching search. Their second round of interviews included eight candidates, with Saturday and Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris among the last other finalists to be eliminated.

The Colts conducted extensive interviews with candidates during the second round. One league source said that between initial virtual interviews and follow-up in-person interviews, the team spent between 16 and 18 hours with candidates who made it to