INDIANAPOLIS — When Chris Ballard was first hired as the Indianapolis Colts general manager, he promised to build a roster that was talented from 1 to 53, from Andrew Luck all the way down through the practice squad.
He was never able to live up to that promise.
Carlie Irsay-Gordon fired Ballard on Monday, cutting ties with the general manager who has led the Colts for a decade with little success to show for the organization’s loyalty.
Ballard finishes his career in Indianapolis with a record of 72-82-1, only two playoff berths, no AFC South titles and a six-year playoff drought that has pushed the franchise to the point of a total rebuild.
He was hired initially to do the opposite, to renovate the roster on the fly around Luck, a franchise quarterback in the prime of his career, and there was some early success.
Finally in full control of the team’s direction after a transition year in 2017, Ballard drafted a pair of perennial All-Pros in left guard Quenton Nelson and linebacker Shaquille Leonard in 2018, and a refurbished team around Luck ripped off 10 wins in 11 games, including a playoff win over the Texans.
The Colts seemed poised to contend for years.
Until Luck’s shocking retirement.
While Ballard was not inclined to drama by nature, often preaching patience with draft picks and other Colts players, his tenure was riddled with controversy, beginning with Luck’s shoulder in a lost 2017 season, then Josh McDaniels’ decision to pull out of the head coaching job after agreeing to take it in 2018.
Luck’s decision to retire in 2019 was the blow that haunted Ballard for the rest of his tenure. Widely coveted for years as a general manager candidate, Ballard was picky, looking for a team with a quarterback in place. Luck’s retirement sent the Colts into an ongoing quarterback carousel, the worst place an NFL franchise can be.
Indianapolis cycled through quarterbacks for years. Jacoby Brissett failed to take advantage of his opportunity in 2019, and although Philip Rivers led a good Colts team to the playoffs in 2020, his subsequent retirement led to Indianapolis sending first- and third-round picks to the Eagles for Carson Wentz, whose collapse down the stretch cost Indianapolis a playoff berth in 2021.
A series of poor roster decisions, including a bet on Falcons legend Matt Ryan, led to the firing of head coach Frank Reich midway through the 2022 season, and there was plenty of criticism that the Colts should also move on from Ballard.
Late Indianapolis owner Jim Irsay openly rebuked Ballard’s critics, comparing his general manager to Michael Jordan and doubling down by tabbing Ballard to lead the search for a head coach that ultimately produced Shane Steichen in 2023.
For years, Ballard had resisted the urge to use a first-round pick on a quarterback to replace Luck, saying that he’d only pick a future face of the franchise when he was sure. But Irsay made it clear that he’d waited long enough when the Colts’ ugly 2022 season resulted in the No. 4 pick in 2023.
Ballard chose Florida’s Anthony Richardson, betting that a toolsy, athletic quarterback with little experience could develop into the franchise quarterback the Colts sorely needed.
Injuries, inaccuracy and improper preparation marred Richardson’s two seasons in Indianapolis, and even though Ballard had always said that he knew he’d be fired if he drafted a quarterback high in the first round who turned out to be a bust, Irsay kept Ballard into 2025, the same year that Irsay died and principal ownership passed to his daughter, Carlie Irsay-Gordon.
Ballard, along with Steichen, bet heavily on former Giants quarterback Daniel Jones, a move that looked like a stroke of genius for 10 games in 2025 before faltering, first because of Jones' injuries late that season and then because he reverted to his Giants form in 2026, a year that Irsay-Gordon had targeted as a potential make-or-break season for the franchise.
The team’s quixotic search for a quarterback ultimately made the most headlines.
But Ballard’s lack of success in Indianapolis went far beyond one position.
Ballard promised to build excellent offensive and defensive lines in Indianapolis, and although he twice built good offensive lines for the Colts, Ballard utterly failed to provide the deep, devastating pass rush he promised despite investing heavily, both in money and draft picks, at the position.
He also had a penchant for relying too heavily on young players, repeatedly avoiding making outside signings at one position or the other in favor of relying on development, then watching as the position left the Colts crippled during the season.
Everything collapsed in 2026.
Every move Ballard made — signing Jones and wide receiver Alec Pierce in free agency, trying to rebuild the linebacker position through the draft, hoping for development at defensive end, spending heavily at cornerback, refusing to add depth behind Pierce at wide receiver, etc. — turned out worse than expected, leaving Steichen with a thin, porous roster that has collapsed.
Irsay-Gordon responded by cutting ties with Ballard, and now the franchise will search for its first new general manager in a decade, and presumably a new direction along with it.
Joel A. Erickson and Nathan Brown cover the Colts all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Colts Insider newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts fire GM Chris Ballard after 10 years due to failures at QB, pass rush and more