Zak Keefer

zak.keefer@indystar.com

Surprise, surprise.

The Indianapolis Colts coach for 2016 will be … after much deliberation … Chuck Pagano. And general manager Ryan Grigson will be right there with him.

The embattled Pagano, coming off an 8-8 finish to his fourth season in Indianapolis, received a four-year contract the team announced Monday night. It came as one of the biggest surprises thus far of the NFL offseason; Pagano’s fate appeared sealed weeks ago after the Colts fell apart in December, dropping three consecutive games on their way to missing the playoffs for just the third time since 1999.

"I've had a lot of great days in my life, but none better than this," Pagano said at a late night news conference at the Colts complex.

Owner Jim Irsay said Pagano received a four-year contract and that Grigson is "contractually tied to Chuck."

Pagano met with Irsay on Monday afternoon, intent on stating his case to remain as this team's coach. Apparently it worked. When he spoke to his players in a season-ending team meeting about noon, with Irsay present, Pagano told them he was uncertain if he’d return. Players left the team facility on West 56th Street in the dark, uncertain whether Pagano would be back or they’d be playing for someone else next season.

Now, he’ll be back. As bad as 2015 was, Irsay has effectively offered Pagano a mulligan. He’ll get another shot with a healthy Andrew Luck next year.

"Ryan and I met, and Chuck and I met, and then Ryan and Chuck had a long meeting," " Irsay said. "We they came out, (Chuck) said, 'I want to make sure I'm tied at the hip with Ryan, (so) when we get to the mountaintop we're there together.'

"This year was tough, 8-8 and falling short of the playoffs is difficult. But to be there with the injuries at quarterback, I'm proud of the organization. I'm convinced we have the right people."

Players react to Colts keeping Pagano as coach

Pagano is 41-23 in four seasons in Indianapolis, which is good enough for the fifth-best winning percentage among active coaches with at least two full seasons. He led the team to two AFC South titles (2013, 2014) and an appearance in last year’s AFC championship game, not to mention an NFL-record 16-game win streak inside the division that stretched across three seasons.

Plaguing Pagano throughout his time in Indianapolis has been a soured relationship with management, specifically Grigson, whom Pagano has butted heads with on more than one occasion. Pagano downplayed any issues between the two.

"Always has been (a good relationship)," Pagano said. "We agree to disagree, but at the end of the day you leave every meeting with a handshake and a hug. It's about one thing and one thing only, the team. We're going to do everything with the 'shoe in mind."

Irsay said: “If you think somebody’s going to bully my head coach, you’re wrong. Ryan’s not that type of guy. And you don’t know me."

Irsay said he had hoped to maintain continuity.

"I could have walked someone in that door with an eight-figure (salary) a year and say, 'I'm making a big splash,'" Irsay said. "If that was the best for us, I would do it. This guy is a great coach. (Bill) Polian is going to the Hall of Fame, and Ryan's outdone him in his first four years (making the playoffs three times to Polian's two)."

Even throughout this most taxing season, Pagano kept his spirits up. He’s had a poker chip in his pocket for the better part of a month — he’s been telling his team they’re "all in" for weeks — and he held this team together despite losing its franchise quarterback for more than half the season.

Chuck Pagano's highs and lows

Pagano also has revealed a side of himself rarely seen before: a man steeled in perspective, content with whatever fate lie ahead. He didn't let the storm overwhelm him.



“They can’t eat you,” he said in mid-December. “They can fire you, but they can’t eat you. So if the worst thing, a year from now, let’s say I’m in Boise (Idaho) this time next year playing with my granddaughters, I’m going to be fine. That ain’t going to happen but I’m going to be fine if I have to go down that road.”



And then, asked this week whether he wanted to remain the coach in Indianapolis, Pagano was blunt: “I will fight my a-- off to be the coach here. “I’m worried about Tennessee right now, but I do I want to be the coach here? Yes.”

Apparently, after a startling move Monday, Pagano will get just that.

"It was a trying year for us," Grigson said. "An 8-8 record is not good enough for Chuck, nor I and Mr. Irsay. Chuck Pagano is a great man. We've been through the wringer together, but we're still focused on the same goal."

Call Star reporter Zak Keefer at (317) 44406134 and follow him on Twitter: @zkeefer.