“Captain Comeback” could be making an NFL comeback. For four years, Jim Harbaugh was the quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts. Now, he has a chance to relive his glory days as a quarterback and reunite with the man who helped put him on the map in college.
The Colts dismissed Chuck Pagano on Sunday night after a season-ending win over the Texans in Week 17.
Jim Irsay has been known to stick his nose in the middle of all of the internal wheelings and dealings of the Colts, though this time around, he has committed to letting his handpicked general manager, Chris Ballard, get first crack at hiring a head coach.
Still, with Irsay lurking in the background, it’s anyone’s guess who the Colts are going to target as their next head man.
BetDSI.eu has posted odds on who will be the next head coach for the Colts, and there isn’t a single candidate lined at better than +800. The field, any candidate aside from Josh McDaniels, David Shaw, Todd Haley, Frank Reich, Pat Shumur, Tom Cable, Jim Harbaugh, Dave Toub or Matt Nagy, is the overwhelmingly favorite at -200.
“(Josh) McDaniels is going to be the top choice for almost every NFL job opening,” said BetDSI.eu odds consultant, Jacob Crossman. “The Colts are alluring, and McDaniels would be a fool not to listen to overtures. But McDaniels will probably prefer a job where he can call all the shots instead of having an egomaniac owner who wants to run things his way.”
2018 NFL Head Coach Odds & Candidates
Chicago Bears
Detroit Lions
New York Giants
Harbaugh is going to be the sexiest name on the board for the Colts.
At some point, you’d like to think that Harbaugh is going to give the NFL a second chance after a successful tenure in San Francisco. He’s coaching his alma mater, Michigan, at the moment, but it’s clear that the Wolverines are going to be second-best to Ohio State most years. With rumors that boosters are growing weary of Harbaugh’s shtick, there’s a good chance that this match made in Heaven will ultimately come to an amicable end. And if Harbaugh realizes his Ann Arbor future could be brief, Indianapolis is as good of a landing spot as he’s going to get a shot at.
Andrew Luck has shown a ton of promise in his NFL career, but two seasons full of injuries have really derailed him. There might not be a better man to get Luck’s career back on track than the coach who recruited him to Stanford and helped mold him into the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft.
If Harbaugh decides to stay in school, the Colts could continue scrolling through the college ranks and interview David Shaw. Shaw has long stated that he has no reason to leave Stanford, but the allure of being reunited with Luck in Indianapolis could be too strong for him to pass. Shaw was Harbaugh’s offensive coordinator while at Stanford.
BetDSI gives Shaw (+900) a better chance of coaching the Colts next year than his Harbaugh (+1500).
Indianapolis Head Coach in Week 1 of the 2018 Regular Season
Josh McDaniels +800
David Shaw +900
Todd Haley +900
Frank Reich +950
Pat Shumur +1200
Tom Cable +1200
Jim Harbaugh +1500
Dave Toub +1500
Matt Nagy +2000
Field -200
