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Colts Dodge Coaching Shakeup With Cooter Set to Stay

Originally posted on Indianapolis Colts on SI
By Sean Ackerman | Last updated Feb 3, 2026 4:34 PM ET

After a crazy coaching cycle, the Indianapolis Colts are expected to retain their staff for the 2026 season. The Colts let four different teams interview their coordinators, but every team went in a different direction.

The final team to make a hiring decision was the New York Giants, who are expected to bring in Matt Nagy as their offensive coordinator. The Giants, who had hired John Harbaugh as their head coach just days earlier, requested an interview with Colts offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter. The Giants also held an interview with Colts passing game coordinator Alex Tanney.

Although the interview was for the same job, Cooter was being interviewed as a play caller. In Indianapolis, Cooter doesn't call the plays; head coach Shane Steichen does.

Jim Bob Cooter Will Stay in Indianapolis

Before interviewing with the Giants, Cooter held two meetings with the Philadelphia Eagles. The Colts and the Eagles have been swapping coordinators and coaches for the past decade, so it was a tad surprising to see Nick Sirianni go a different route with his hire.

Now that the positions are filled, it looks like the Colts will get to have their offensive staff back with no changes. It's no surprise the Colts' offensive staff was highly coveted after their historic start at the beginning of the season. The Colts were breaking records and scoring on nearly every drive, but they sank back to reality in the second half of the season.

Colts OC Jim Bob Cooter and passing game coordinator Alex Tanney also interviewed for the Giants OC position. Both now poised to return to Indy in 2026. https://t.co/BLpcMaL0dd
— Andrew Moore (@AndrewMooreNFL) February 3, 2026

Daniel Jones suffering a torn Achilles was a real gut punch. The offense tried to live through Jonathan Taylor, but teams were stacking the box, making it incredibly difficult to establish the run. The hiring of Philip Rivers wasn't a total failure, but the Colts lost all four games he started, so it certainly didn't work out as desired.

Steichen, Cooter, and Tanney will get a chance at redemption in 2026. For most of them, this could be their final life in Indianapolis. Another disappointing season will lead to a clean house, even if the offense is somewhat successful.

Colts Must Focus on Player Personnel

The Colts have a lot of personnel decisions to make on offense, but the biggest ones are what to do with Daniel Jones and Alec Pierce. The two expressed interest in returning to Indianapolis, but they will come at a hefty price.

Jones and Pierce were electric in 2025, with Pierce hitting 1,000 yards for the first time in his career. When Pierce and Jones were on the same page, the offense was a better unit. One would imagine that since the Colts are keeping Chris Ballard, he'll keep Jones and Pierce in Indy.

Christine Tannous-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

On the other side of the ball, defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo was requested for a head coaching interview by three teams. The Giants, Buffalo Bills, and Tennessee Titans all expressed interest in the veteran coach.

Anarumo has built a solid group in Indy, but injuries plagued their success toward the end of the season. Players like Sauce Gardner, Charvarius Ward, and DeForest Buckner were all sidelined by the end of the year.

Lou Anarumo is Back for Year 2

Despite not having a successful season on paper, teams still thought Anarumo was coaching well. Three interviews indicate that more teams could be interested next year, especially if his defense performs well.

Anarumo is best known for his defense that helped the Cincinnati Bengals reach the Super Bowl in 2021. Plenty of teams expressed interest in him as a head coach candidate back then, too.

Couple Lou Anarumo blitzes from the field side against play-action looks. Really like creeping pressure off the likely roll out side to either meet the QB after the fake or force the RB/puller to make a tough block in space pic.twitter.com/mE8YPucsYJ
— Zach Hicks (@ZachHicks2) February 1, 2026