Even if you question what good firing a general manager during the season does, it wasn’t a major surprise when the Indianapolis Colts fired GM Chris Ballard.
The Colts have made the playoffs once since 2018 and have no playoff wins since then. Their best record since 2021 is 9-8, and they’ve gone 8-9 in each of the two seasons. This season they sit at 2-4, with a loss to the winless Titans on Sunday and victories over one- and two-win teams.
Ballard’s biggest problem was getting the quarterback spot right. When he arrived, Andrew Luck was in place, and his sudden retirement set the franchise back. But Ballard has had the better part of a decade to get this position right, and it just hasn’t happened.
The Colts might have thought they had their guy in Daniel Jones a year ago when the Colts hit 8-2 and appeared to be a playoff squad. That’s when they traded for cornerback Sauce Gardner – a move that blew up in their faces.
Now the question is what happens next.
Owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon has been taking a hands-on approach to ownership of the club since her father’s passing, even donning headsets during games to get a better feel how the organization runs, top to bottom. It would be hard to imagine that more significant changes will follow eventually.
“Making this change during the season was a deliberate decision," Irsay-Gordon said in her statement. “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 this organization.”
Does this mean changes to the coaching staff will follow? A trade-deadline purge? A new quarterback next offseason? Let’s break down what’s next for the Colts during this transition period.
Trade deadline looms, and the Colts should be sellers
Let’s first be transparent: Irsay-Gordon also said the Colts plan to be competitive.
“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,” Irsay-Gordon’s statement also said.
That’s a noble intention, but there’s also a cold reality. They’re 2-4 and likely need to look vastly better over the next few weeks to avoid the inevitable.
The big picture is that the Gardner trade, which sapped the Colts of their 2026 and 2027 first-round picks, has significantly damaged their offseason draft-pick lot. What stings a little extra is that the 2027 NFL Draft appears to be one of the more top-heavy classes in the past few years, and the Colts would be picking sixth overall if the season ended today. Instead, the Jets will enjoy that windfall, wherever the pick ends up.
The Colts have to consider moving on from some of their more valuable pieces as a way of helping recoup some of the lost value. Irsay-Gordon expressed a desire to expeditiously move on from Ballard, and she should endorse similar aggression when it comes to moving assets, starting with prior to the trade deadline in the coming weeks.
One obvious one would be defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, who is 32 years old and headed for free agency in the spring. There likely would be multiple teams interested in his services. Grover Stewart is 33 and in the same position. Either or both could be available.
Other pieces to consider moving: wide receiver Josh Downs and safety Cam Bynum. Both are younger pieces who could fetch decent value if moved.
But what about Jonathan Taylor? From a value perspective, it would make sense to unload a pricy running back with an injury history and arguably at his peak (or moving past it) with nearly 2,000 career touches.
There also could be a conversation about moving offensive guard Quenton Nelson, who is also in a free-agent season. The question is whether Irsay-Gordon has the same sentimentality as her father, Jim Irsay, who was known to be fond of both Taylor and Nelson and likely viewed them as career-long Colts.
In-season general manager firings tend to be more rare, but when they happen, it can be an indication of a fire sale to come. This played out in Miami after GM Chris Grier was fired during the regular season a year ago. Jaelen Phillips was dealt, and the Dolphins dangled Jaylen Waddle and Bradley Chubb, eventually trading Waddle in the offseason.
Barring a quick Colts turnaround, it would be hard to imagine they’re not open for business, and they have plenty of options to move.
Quarterback future looking dim, with limited options
The Colts’ move to re-sign Daniel Jones last offseason isn’t standing the test of time. Jones was off to a career-best flourish to start last season, but he hit a wall when injuries mounted, eventually missing the rest of the season with a ruptured Achilles tendon.
Jones’ quick return from the injury suffered in December should be viewed as a strong commitment to his rehab and professionalism, but the product he’s put out there this season hasn’t been a match in excellence. Jones ranks near the bottom of the rankings among most qualified passers. He’s had interceptions in every game but one (and two in the loss to the Titans Sunday) and is on pace for his worst career completion percentage (59.6).
Remember, too, that the Colts allowed Michael Pittman Jr. to walk, knowing they couldn’t keep him, Jones and Alec Pierce. Right now, Pierce is on IR, with five catches in two games so far this season.
One way or another, the Colts are more likely to move on from Jones this offseason. Sure, he still has time to turn things around, but counting on that feels awfully risky.
We know Anthony Richardson’s story, and he doesn’t realistically figure to be among the potential solutions, either. Richardson had his chances to claim the Colts’ starting job, and his failures were a big strike against Ballard.
The next general manager is going to have to figure out how best to acquire a quarterback this offseason and make it work without a first-round pick.
Even if there are reasonably interesting QB prospects who linger long enough to be available in Round 2 of the draft, the most prudent and likely option would be a veteran who outplayed his welcome elsewhere, perhaps similar to Kyler Murray, Kirk Cousins or Tua Tagovailoa – a bridge option until they find better.
There will be options, but the quality of those options will be far below “unquestioned franchise starter.” This is just another indication of the breadth of the Colts’ rebuild, especially if they sell off pieces at the deadline.