Jeff Saturday left ESPN during last football season to serve as interim head coach of the Indianapolis Colts. The former center won his first game with the team, but then endured a seven-game losing streak to conclude the 2023 regular season. Following the year’s end, Saturday was in consideration to be named the permanent head coach of the team; however, the organization ultimately decided on Shane Steichen, who was most recently the Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator. Now, according to The Athletic and the New York Post, Bristol wants him back.
ESPN is intrigued by Saturday’s potential return to television, even though his interest in an NFL return is unknown. Saturday first joined the “Worldwide Leader” in 2013 and has contributed across studio programming, including First Take, NFL Live and SportsCenter.
The difficult part of the situation, which remains unresolved, is in making the hire amid notable layoffs of talent and other staffers. ESPN recently complied with The Walt Disney Company’s organizational mandate to cut $5.5 billion in operating costs and eliminate 7,000 jobs. Cuts of talent, which included Jeff Van Gundy, Suzy Kolber and Steve Young among others, were reportedly outside of the company layoffs and obfuscated some in the industry.
The role Saturday would assume upon re-signing with the network remains unknown, but there is an opening on Monday Night Countdown and plenty of other areas within its football portfolio where he could contribute. Saturday had inked a contract extension with ESPN last August, but suddenly left upon the exigent coaching situation in Indianapolis.
Saturday played 14 years in the NFL, primarily with the Indianapolis Colts, where he won a Super Bowl championship, named an All-Pro twice, and was given a spot in the team’s Ring of Honor.
