It is safe to say the situation in Indianapolis is going to turn into a train wreck (more of one?) sooner rather than later. The Indianapolis Colts were expected to fire head coach Chuck Pagano following the season, but on Monday evening, they shocked most everybody by extending Pagano's contract. There were numerous rumors Pagano and general manager Ryan Grigson did not get along, with Jim Irsay in the middle of all of it, but somehow they worked things out for the time being.
While the three parties seemed to work things out, news this morning could be the start of the inevitable collapse of this relationship. A Colts beat writer is reporting the Indianapolis Colts were speaking with New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton while also in talks with Pagano. It remains to be seen who would want this information out there, but it is out there nonetheless.
According to an NFL source, the Colts were negotiating with Sean Payton reps while Pagano talks were also happening. Talks broke down.
— Tom James (@TribStarTJames) January 5, 2016
While Payton is under contract, he recently pushed back his Monday press conference to Wednesday. The belief is that he would use that time to gauge interest around the league. It is not surprising the Colts would look into their backup options, but given the fragile state of the relationship between Pagano, Grigson, and Irsay, it is slightly amusing to consider. Maybe our Colts blog, Stampede Blue, wants to use the photoshopped Three Stooges picture we posted a while back.