Ballard's exit raises questions about the direction of the Colts' franchise

Oct 19, 2026 at 10:56 am ET • 4 min read

The Indianapolis Colts are in search of a new general manager. The franchise announced that it fired Chris Ballard following its 2-4 start to the season and back-to-back losses, the most recent of which came against the previously winless Tennessee Titans.

Ballard had been under pressure since the second half of last season, when the Colts lost seven consecutive games and eight of their final nine to close the year. Colts owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon, when she made the decision to retain Ballard and the coaching staff after that disappointing finish, set the expectation that improvement must come in 2026.

"I am grateful to Chris for his years of service to the Colts and for everything he poured into this organization," Irsay-Gordon said in a statement. "He cared deeply about our team and our community, and we wish Chris and his family all the best. As I said at the start of the season, the sense of urgency has never been higher. Our standard is to compete for championships, and I believe a change in leadership is necessary to meet that standard."

This season was Ballard's 10th as the general manager. Under his watch, the Colts posted a 72-82-1 record and were 1-2 in the postseason. Time ran out on his tenure following five consecutive years without a playoff appearance, which placed Indianapolis in a tie for the third-longest active drought in the NFL. Only the Atlanta Falcons (2017) and New York Jets (2010) have waited longer for a return to the playoffs.

What's more, the Colts were the only team in the AFC South to fail to win the division during Ballard's tenure. Each of the other franchises won it at least twice.

"Making the change during the season was a deliberate decision," Irsay-Gordon said. "Waiting would only delay the important work that needs to begin now. We will conduct a thorough search for our next general manager and take the time necessary to identify the right leader for the future of the organization. I also want to be clear: this decision does not change our goals for the season. We have a lot of football in front of us, and I expect us to compete, improve, and win football games."

Ballard was in the final year of his contract and said before the start of Year 10 that he would not sign an extension prior to the start of the season. Irsay-Gordon's comments about his retention after 2025 indicated that he would have had to deliver a bounce-back season to earn another contract.

Pressure mounts on Shane Steichen

The first domino has fallen in Indianapolis, and it is now on Shane Steichen to prevent a chain reaction. The fourth-year coach entered the season on the same kind of hot seat as Ballard, because Irsay-Gordon said that he, too, understood the sense of urgency had never been higher. With one man fired, the focus now shifts to the other. Barring an in-season turnaround, Steichen could soon find the same fate.

Steichen can only operate with the players presented to him, and that Ballard was the first to go shows the Colts' issues go deeper than the coaching staff. There are clear roster deficiencies that limit the team's potential. At the same time, though, successful coaches make the most of what they have at their disposal, and Steichen is missing the opportunity to do so. The 2-4 start to the season puts Steichen on pace for the worst year of his tenure. With watchful eyes scrutinizing his every move, the team seems to have regressed.

Boos rained down from the stands inside Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday during the 26-20 loss to the Titans. Steichen said after the game that he does not blame fans for booing "one freaking bit." While some change is clearly necessary, Steichen committed on Daniel Jones as the team's starting quarterback and said, "We've got a lot to fix, and we've got to fix it in a hurry."

Sauce Gardner trade among Chris Ballard's most head-scratching moves

When the Colts opened the 2025 season at 7-1, Ballard decided to push all of his chips forward and trade future capital for an asset that could help the team capitalize on its hot start. The move backfired. 

Ballard gave up two first-round picks and wide receiver Adonai Mitchell for cornerback Sauce Gardner, and neither side of the deal worked in his favor. Gardner has struggled during his time in Indianapolis, while the New York Jets cashed in by constructing a young and promising offensive core with its newfound assets.

While that was the most glaring single failure of Ballard's tenure, his missteps primarily occurred at the quarterback position and in succession, putting the Colts in a hole they could not climb out of. In the years since Andrew Luck's retirement, Ballard was unable to find a long-term solution at the position. Only two quarterbacks started consecutive season openers, and neither of them has made it to the playoffs.

Colts' Week 1 starting quarterbacks since Andrew Luck's retirement

During that stretch, the Colts used a first-round pick on Richardson, who did not amount to anything more than a backup. They also gave Jones a two-year, $88 million contract extension in March despite the fact that he tore his Achilles last season. Those investments aged poorly, as did many of Ballard's moves in the latter stages of his tenure.