Indiana's Curt Cignetti not interested in moving on to NFL: 'I made that decision a long time ago'
- - Indiana's Curt Cignetti not interested in moving on to NFL: 'I made that decision a long time ago'
Sean Leahy January 17, 2026 at 11:10 PM
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Curt Cignetti's work turning Indiana from a Big Ten doormat into a national championship hopeful has not gone unnoticed by those outside of the college football world.
As the 15-0 Hoosiers prepare for Monday's College Football Playoff national championship game against Miami, Cignetti was asked about taking his talents to the NFL. His name has been brought up during this current coaching cycle and bandied about regarding potential future openings. But the interest would only be one sided.
“I’m not an NFL guy," Cignetti said during Saturday's CFP media day. "I made that decision a long time ago. Chuck Amato, NC State, in 2000. I had a chance to go with the Packers. Tommy Rossley, Mike Sherman, [Brett] Favre was in his heyday. I declined the opportunity. I almost took it. That's when I made the final decision. I've always been more of a college football guy."
A Pittsburgh native, Cignetti's name was floated earlier this week after Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin stepped down.
Cignetti has over 90 million reasons to stay in the college game after inking a lucrative eight-year extension with Indiana in October that will see him average $11.6 million per season.
The 64-year-old Cignetti was a head coach for IUP, Elon and James Madison before being hired for the Hoosiers' job ahead of the 2024 season. In two seasons in Bloomington he's led Indiana to a 26-2 record and two appearances in the CFP. He's also coached a Heisman Trophy winner and likely No. 1 overall NFL Draft pick in Fernando Mendoza.
The Hoosiers lost to Notre Dame in the CFP first round last year before this past season's climb atop the rankings and wins over Alabama and Oregon to reach the title game.
Source: “AOL Sports”
