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The Indianapolis Colts unsurprisingly fired Chuck Pagano shortly after their win over the Houston Texans in Week 17, ending a six-year run for the coach, an up-and-down tenure that featured three playoff berths but ultimately ended with Indy securing the No. 3 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. 

Perhaps this was a fait acompli based on the setup -- good luck surviving when you have a new GM come in during a year when you lose your franchise quarterback. Chris Ballard ultimately decided to go in a new direction and it will be fascinating to see who the Colts end up getting to run the team.

There is a good case to be made the Colts have one of the top available jobs. Andrew Luck is a superstar quarterback when healthy and there is some young talent present in a weak division. On the other hand, if Luck is not healthy, this is an uphill-battle job, and there has been a substantial amount of drama surrounding the Colts in recent years. The questions surrounding Luck at least will make it difficult to land a big name. 

Let's look at some candidates who might fit in with the Colts gig, Ballard and owner Jim Irsay. We're going to lean offensive-minded with this potential hire, because the Colts just fired a former defensive coordinator and because "fixing" Luck should be No. 1 on the priority list for a new coach. Check John Breech's Coaching Tracker here for updates.

Matt Nagy, Chiefs OC or Dave Toub, Chiefs ST

Ballard came to Indianapolis from Kansas City, so logic dictates we should look to his past in order to identify possible candidates. CBS Sports NFL Insider Jason La Canfora reported on Sunday the Chiefs pair will likely be interviewed by Ballard, with Toub being someone who has "a strong endorsement" from Andy Reid. Toub's been with the Chiefs since Reid took over in Kansas City, with a stop in Chicago before that and a lengthy tenure under Reid in Philadelphia. JLC has actually been stumping for him as a head coaching candidate since last year -- good read here on Toub from him that has aged well. Special teams coaches don't often get the same run as offensive or defensive coordinators, but John Harbaugh was once an Andy Reid special teams coach. The Chiefs have had a top-10 special teams unit according to Football Outsiders metrics every year since Reid/Toub arrived. Nagy's name has shot into the coaching rumor stratosphere ever since he took over playcalling for Reid with the Chiefs stagnating. The offense found renewed life, got Kareem Hunt involved more and Alex Smith started going again. The playoffs could be telling, but this has been a fantastic opportunity for Nagy to showcase his abilities as a playcaller. With everyone looking for "the next Sean McVay," bright young offensive minds will draw interest on the market.

Josh McDaniels, Patriots OC

Few are brighter than McDaniels, who famously flamed out in Denver during his first stint as a head coach. He spent plenty of time in New England maturing since then and many believe he'll be primed to make a leap back into the head-coaching realm and succeed. There is a short list of Bill Belichick disciples who have managed to make the leap to their own team and manage sustained success, but McDaniels won games early and also managed to bring in some talent in Denver. He was likely burnt by some of his own hubris as well as having excessive control over the roster with limited checks and balances. If Luck is healthy, pairing him with McDaniels would be FUN. It would also be a big-time benefit for a hard-working, intelligent quarterback who has been forced to battle shuffling coordinators and offensive linemen throughout his career. The Colts and the Patriots aren't exactly friendly, but that wouldn't necessarily matter for the purposes of McDaniels leaving the nest, unless he was just wholly uninterested in squaring off against Belichick.

Todd Haley, Steelers OC

A one-time head coach with the Chiefs, the biggest hallmark of Haley's tenure has been taking a physical quarterback in Ben Roethlisberger, a guy who took too many shots and was constantly battling injury, and turning him into a more cerebral quarterback who doesn't take as many shots. That's more or less exactly what the Colts need for Luck, provided that his shoulder is ultimately healthy enough to play in 2018. If that's the case, it would be logical to find a coach who can help Luck unlock his upside for the remainder of his prime. Haley is a fiery guy, and there is no real connection between he and Ballard so it might be a stretch, but logically this could be a fit. 

Frank Reich, Eagles OC

Again, another up-and-coming name in terms of being a guy who has had a lot of success offensively. And there are connections here with Ballard in terms of the GM being familiar with Reich's boss, as he worked with Eagles coach Doug Pederson in Kansas City when Pederson was Andy Reid's OC prior to Nagy. It's not hard to look at the Eagles and see them as a team that could be picked apart when it comes to the coaching staff -- Carson Wentz developed into a viable MVP candidate during just his second year under center for Philly, and Reich is getting plenty of credit for that, along with Pederson and quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo. Reich is going to get some looks this year after helping to engineer one of the top offenses in the NFL.

David Shaw, Stanford coach

There is a very small chance that Shaw actually leaves Stanford. By all accounts -- including his own -- he is very happy at a program that affords him plenty of freedom and also plenty of success. But this would also be an opportunity to reunite with a former pupil of his in Luck, which might be one of the few landing spots Shaw would feel comfortable leaving for. On the other hand, if he's as comfortable on the west coast as it appears he is, and if he believes he can continue to challenge for Pac-12 titles and be involved in the playoff hunt on an annual basis, the downside of leaping for Indianapolis and the uncertainty involving Luck might be enough to ward him off. Here was Shaw in 2013 talking to Peter King of The MMQB: "When teams reached out to me last year, I said, 'Okay, you tell me which NFL city is better than Palo Alto. And then explain that to my wife.'"

Jim Harbaugh, Michigan coach

Another guy who is going to get listed every time that Andrew Luck is in need of a coach. Harbaugh would be a big-time splash hire for Irsay and Ballard, but the guess here is it won't even be discussed for a couple of reasons. One, Harbaugh can end the season well in Michigan and might have a nice roster setup for next year. Two, the uncertainty around Luck's shoulder. Even his old coach may struggle to find out exactly what's happening. And three, it would be surprising to see Harbaugh come back to the NFL in a position where he wouldn't have roster control, given how things went in San Francisco with Trent Baalke.