The Colts will become just the sixth team since the 1970 merger to start 8-2 and miss the playoffs. This had not happened previously since the 1995 Raiders pulled it off. Considering Chris Ballard‘s time on the GM job in Indianapolis, it is logical to wonder if ownership pulls the plug here.
Ballard engineered a blockbuster trade at the deadline, surrendering two first-round picks and second-year wide receiver Adonai Mitchell for Sauce Gardner. The All-Pro cornerback’s calf injury wounded Indy’s defense considerably, and the team has now lost six straight games. Philip Rivers‘ arrival has shined a spotlight on this losing streak. Beyond the human-interest angle, the 44-year-old passer lost his three starts to move the Colts out of the playoff race.
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This will be Ballard’s fifth straight season without a playoff berth, with Rivers’ one-and-done first stint being the most recent qualification. The Colts then lost a win-and-in game as a double-digit favorite in Jacksonville — where the team has not won throughout Ballard’s tenure — before striking out on Anthony Richardson in the 2023 draft. Plenty has gone wrong for Ballard, who has nevertheless retained much of the core he had built dating back to Andrew Luck‘s final season. The Colts have also not won the AFC South on Ballard’s watch.
All this said, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler notes Ballard is believed to be safe for what would be a 10th year at the helm. Ballard has a good working relationship with new controlling owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon, Fowler colleague Dan Graziano adds. While Fowler notes some around the league believe Ballard would be the first to go if Irsay-Gordon signs off on changes, the quality working relationship with the former Jim Irsay hire represents a plus.
Irsay-Gordon effectively challenged Ballard and Shane Steichen upon taking over for her late father, and the third-generation NFL owner has become famous for wearing a headset on the sideline to learn more about the Colts’ gameday inner workings. She has worn the headset for years, and although she does not communicate with coaches in-game, The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue indicates one team called Ballard to complain about the new owner wearing the headset. Not that Ballard is in a position to indicate he doesn’t want the team’s owner on a headset, but the veteran exec vehemently expressed support (via Rodrigue) for her doing so.
Steichen was in his first months on the job when the Colts drafted Richardson, who underperformed in 2024 — as woeful inaccuracy and maturity concerns defined his second season — and has battled extensive injury trouble. Richardson’s orbital injury led to Rivers’ unretirement, and the former No. 4 overall pick will not be activated from IR this season. He is a decent bet to be elsewhere in 2026, the final year of his rookie contract.
Ballard and Steichen missing on Richardson — after a crowded QB carousel spun post-Luck — and then going from 8-2 to a playoff absence represents a tough sell, but not too much was expected of the Colts this season. The team also sitting 8-4 when Daniel Jones suffered an Achilles tear also provides a point of defense for Ballard, who looked to have done well to stop the carousel with the former Giants starter. Jones and the Colts are expected to enter some complex contract talks, based on the leverage the QB gained with the Gardner trade removing a first-round pick from the equation and then suffering another major injury, in the near future.
It should be expected Ballard will lead those conversations from the Colts’ side. While it would not be shocking to see Irsay-Gordon fire Ballard based on this year’s collapse, it currently appears he will be back. If that happens, the embattled GM should certainly be considered a hot-seat occupant come 2026.