Colts part ways with defensive coordinator Gus Bradley
Bradley spent the last three seasons as the Colts’ defensive coordinator.
The Colts on Monday parted ways with defensive coordinator Gus Bradley.
“I’m appreciative of Gus and the commitment he made to the Colts,” head coach Shane Steichen said. “He is a man of great character, and I have the utmost respect for him. I felt like we needed to move in a different direction. I wish Gus and his family all the best moving forward.”
Bradley spent the last three seasons as the Colts’ defensive coordinator, and has been a defensive coordinator or head coach from 2009-2024. He joined the Colts in 2022 after former defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus was hired as the Chicago Bears’ head coach.
NFL News: Gus Bradley Fired as Colts DC After 3 Seasons with No Playoff Appearances
Gus Bradley’s tenure as the Indianapolis Colts’ defensive coordinator is over after three seasons.
Indianapolis announced Monday it parted ways with Bradley after it missed the postseason for the third straight year with him in the position.
“I’m appreciative of Gus and the commitment he made to the Colts,” head coach Shane Steichen said. “He is a man of great character, and I have the utmost respect for him. I felt like we needed to move in a different direction. I wish Gus and his family all the best moving forward.”
The Colts hired Bradley ahead of the 2022 campaign after former defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus left to become the head coach of the Chicago Bears. Chicago fired Eberflus after 12 games this season, ending a disappointing tenure that saw him go 14-32.
Bradley was a notable hire at the time considering he had head-coaching experience.
He was the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2013 until he was fired after 14 games in 2016. While Jacksonville doesn’t exactly have a rich history of consistent success, Bradley’s tenure was among the most disappointing stretches in franchise history.
Jacksonville went 14-48 with him at the helm and never finished with more than five wins in a single season. The stretch stood out even more when the Jaguars went to the AFC Championship Game under Doug Marrone during the 2017 campaign in their first season after firing Bradley.
Despite the struggles at head coach, Bradley’s resume as a defensive coordinator is better.
He was the Seattle Seahawks’ DC from 2009-12 and helped lead the team to the playoffs in two of his four seasons. He also helped set the foundation of the Legion of Boom defense that led Seattle to back-to-back Super Bowls in the 2013 and 2014 campaigns.
Seattle finished in the top 10 in points and yards allowed in each of Bradley’s final two seasons, including when it led the league in points allowed in 2012.
Bradley was also the defensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Chargers, from 2017-20 and the Las Vegas Raiders in 2021 before joining the Colts. The Chargers finished in the top 10 in the league in points allowed twice when he held the position.
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