Jeff Saturday left ESPN last November to take over as the interim head coach of the Indianapolis Colts. After the season, he didn’t get the full-time job, and has been in employment limbo ever since.
However, the door hasn’t been closed on an ESPN return. Per the New York Post, both ESPN and Saturday are interested in a reunion, but a possible return “is still up in the air.”
ESPN would like Jeff Saturday to return, and while Saturday would like to come back, sources say it is still up in the air whether it will happen or not. Last year, Saturday famously departed ESPN to become the interim coach of the Colts. After winning his initial game, he lost seven in a row. He was still considered for the full-time job, but did not receive it. Now, he could return to be an ESPN analyst; however, in light of recent layoffs and ESPN’s focus on watching the budget, it is in question if it will work out.
Saturday’s abrupt departure received plenty of attention, and his former ESPN colleagues weren’t afraid to criticize the Colts for bringing in Saturday. After the Colts’ season ended in January, reports indicated that ESPN would be interested in re-hiring Saturday. Six months later, that still hasn’t happened. ESPN went through a round of layoffs in June, which included several members of the network’s NFL coverage team, and bringing Saturday back after all that might not be a great look.
I don’t have much of a take on Saturday as an analyst, but he wasn’t all that high up ESPN’s pecking order. If he does return, both he and ESPN will probably be roasted every time he shows up on screen (not that either will care). It’s a wholly avoidable issue, and there just doesn’t seem to be much upside in bringing Saturday back for ESPN.
