The Indianapolis Colts fired head coach Chuck Pagano on Sunday after six seasons at the helm, the team announced.
That is, after Owner Jim Irsay gave Pagano the game ball in the team’s locker room.
Pagano’s firing came after a season-closing, 22-13 win over the Houston Texans – only the fourth win of the regular season.
Pagano led the Colts to the playoffs in each of his first three seasons, but the past three campaigns have been a struggle – the longest in the team’s history.
With quarterback Andrew Luck missing the entire season due to a shoulder injury, Indy finished just 4-12 in 2017, marking its first sub-.500 campaign under Pagano.
Overall, Pagano went 53-43 as Indy’s head coach.
In 2012, 2013 and 2014, the Colts went 11-5 each season and won a pair of AFC South titles.
They also improved their playoff finish with each passing year, ultimately reaching the AFC Championship Game in 2014.
Franchise quarterback Andrew Luck has missed 26 of the team’s last 48 games, including all 16 this year, while battling through a slew of injuries that have muddied the once-promising future of the 2012 No. 1 overall pick.
The team has yet to announce a new coach.
