Pat McAfee reveals who’s at the front of the line to get Jeff Saturday-esque midseason head coaching gig
Jeff Saturday shocked the NFL world when he was hired to take over to coach the Indianapolis Colts. Despite having no previous experience as a head coach, he replaced Frank Reich after he was fired during the 2022 season. Saturday was named the interim head coach of his former team, transitioning directly from a job as an NFL analyst in the middle of the season.
While the whole situation was unprecedented, Pat McAfee believes that the 2023 season could see a similar situation play out at some point. He recently picked a candidate as a possibly shocking midseason head coaching hire this year on the "Pat McAfee Show":
"You're talking about Leslie Frazier’s head coaching trajectory that was on the rise, especially because you're the defensive coordinator of a great Buffalo Bills team. He steps away from here. You think it's going to cool off a little bit, but what if one of these teams fires their head coaches like Week Eight, Week Nine?
"Then, he has the first opportunity potentially for an interview because he is on the street."
"I had heard some of what @mlombardiNFL said but I hadn't heard all of it..
Leslie Frazier will be back coaching but it won't be in Buffalo" ~ @RapSheet #PMSLive https://t.co/L9ds1Y7TtK
Leslie Frazier has been the defensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills since the 2017 season. He has helped them become one of the NFL's best defenses. He suddenly announced that he would be temporarily stepping away from football for the upcoming 2023 season.
While his exact reasoning remans unclear, his future with the Bills appears to be in limbo. McAfee believes he remains one of the top head coaching candidates this year, especially if any coaches get fired during the season. Like Jeff Saturday, Leslie Frazier could get a job despite being away from coaching this year.
Unlike Saturday, Frazier actually has NFL coaching experience.He has served as a defensive coach for seven different teams since 1999. He also spent more than three years as the head ocach of the Minnesota Vikings.
What is Jeff Saturday doing now?
The Indianapolis Colts decided not to hire Jeff Saturday as their permanent head coach after turning in mixed results during his time as interim head coach. The Colts instead decided to hire former Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen.
While several rumors have circulated about what Jeff Saturday will do next, nothing has been announced. There was some speculation that he would remain with the Colts in a different role, but that doesn't appear to be the case. It's also possible he returns to ESPN as an NFL analyst after the company expressed interest in possibly hiring him again.