Why Chuck Pagano came out of retirement to coach the Ravens
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For the last four years, former Indianapolis Colts head coach Chuck Pagano spent his early 60s enjoying his retirement. But the call of football and the temptation to return to the sidelines was always there.
In January, Pagano signed on to join the Baltimore Ravens' coaching staff as a senior defensive assistant/secondary coach – his first gig since spending the 2019 and 2020 seasons as the Chicago Bears' defensive coordinator. On Thursday, he spoke to the media about why he made the decision to return.
"I never really stopped thinking about coming back," he said.
Pagano explained that his initial reason for retiring in the first place was needing a break from working after dealing with the stress of coaching during the 2020 season – the peak year of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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After four years though, Pagano realized that his time not coaching football was leaving him with an itch he couldn't scratch.
"I was done with a workout, honey-dos, chores, and it's 10 o'clock in the morning," he said. "And I'm like, can't start drinking, I wait till a certain time to start that, but it's hard to fill your days.
"(Returning to the Ravens) was the opportunity of a lifetime and probably the only place that could get me to come back."
Pagano was part of then-rookie head coach John Harbaugh's first staff when he joined the Ravens in 2008, serving as the team's secondary coach for three years before a promotion to defensive coordinator in 2011. He left for the Colts head coaching job in 2012, one year later.
After six years with the Colts, two years with the Bears and four years of retirement, Pagano is back in Baltimore.
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Just don't consider this an indication that he has aspirations to be a head coach again.
"No, sir," he said in response to a question about a return head coaching.
For now, Pagano is just enjoying the ride and making the most out of an opportunity to coach again.
"When you have something, you kind of take it for granted. And then, when you don't, you realize just how special it was: to coach and be a part of something – be a part of a team – have the relationships that you develop and build when you're a part of something like that.
"It's been awesome."
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