Sadly, colts that run too many tough races tend to break down. That’s also apparently true of Indianapolis Colts general managers. And everyone, team co-owner and CEO Carlie Irsay-Gordon chief among them, could see Chris Ballard, whose contract was set to expire, was on his last legs. And with her team no threat to reach the winner’s circle this season, Irsay-Gordon mercifully relieved him of his duties.
“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,” Irsay-Gordon said in a statement Monday, Oct. 19, while firing Ballard and thanking him for his decade of service.
“Making this change during the season was a deliberate decision. 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.
“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.”
She got most of that right.
NFL owners should want to urgently win, and Irsay-Gordon’s late father would appreciate her commitment on that front. (And why does anybody give her guff for patrolling the sideline during games and charting plays, as if Jerry Jones wouldn’t still be doing it if he wasn’t 84? A column for another time.) But there was also no reason to keep Ballard − the Colts won one playoff game during his tenure and hadn't even reached postseason since 2020 − with the writing on the wall, and the time is nigh for “the important work that needs to begin now.”
As for clinging to the goal of competing this season? Nah.
Ballard is gone. The flawed, desperate roster he built in recent seasons – which broke from his early philosophy of drafting, developing and re-signing players – remains … and showed Sunday that it wasn’t up to the task of defeating even the hapless (and previously winless) Tennessee Titans at Lucas Oil Stadium. The Colts are 2-4. They’re currently in 12th place overall in the AFC. Next up on their schedule: trips to Minnesota, to face the undefeated Vikings, and Jacksonville, home of the first-place Jaguars.
It’s over – at least in terms of whatever Irsay-Gordon hoped her team could achieve in 2026. But there is opportunity here, especially with the new front office void.
When Ballard took over in 2017, he thought he was inheriting a roster that could be rebuilt around quarterback Andrew Luck. That lasted two years before the No. 1 pick of the 2012 draft and seemingly worthy successor to Peyton Manning stunningly retired during the 2019 preseason. Ballard then embarked on a necessary, but ever-urgent, quest to replace Luck – one that involved Carson Wentz, Daniel Jones, Anthony Richardson, an aging Philip Rivers and an ancient Philip Rivers, among others.
The steadily diminishing returns behind center became inversely proportional to the high-risk gambles Ballard took to compensate elsewhere. A second contract for Jones earlier this year. A nine-figure extension for wideout Alec Pierce, who’s never caught 50 passes in a season and almost certainly won’t this year. Shipping off veterans Michael Pittman Jr. and Zaire Franklin to offset a swelling salary cap.
And last year’s deadline trade for New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner, an attempt to go for the brass ring when Jones was playing atypically decent football, might be the one that sets the Colts back another three or four years.
Neither Jones, who has reverted to form with nine turnovers in six games this season, nor Richardson – the highly talented, highly inexperienced, highly inconsistent and sometimes immature QB Ballard drafted fourth overall three years ago – is the answer here. And the Gardner gambit cost Indy its first-round pick this year and, worse, next year, when there could be a bountiful crop of young QB talent. Indianapolis' 2027 first-round pick currently projects as No. 10 overall ... but will quite likely wind up closer to the top five. Nice job, Jets. So what to do now?
Burn it down. Burn it all down.
Colts should trade as many of their stars as possible
The next guy Irsay-Gordon needs to let go of is Jonathan Taylor – and before he breaks down, too.
The 27-year-old Pro Bowl running back currently ranks sixth in the NFL with 492 rushing yards, and his seven touchdowns are two off the league lead. He also presents a midseason reset opportunity, as Christian McCaffrey did for the Carolina Panthers in 2022.
Put Taylor on the block, and he might be the most coveted player on the market ahead of the Nov. 10 trade deadline. And if you’re thinking Taylor’s new contract isn’t movable after he signed a two-year, $44 million extension in August, think again. The Colts would only take a $10 million cap hit next year if they deal Taylor, given he has no guarantees in either 2027 or 2028. Place a call to Seattle Seahawks GM John Schneider already – maybe even ask for first-round rookie back Jadarian Price as part of the compensation.
And the Colts may as well try a fire sale.
Perennial All-Pro guard Quenton Nelson and defensive captain DeForest Buckner are both north of 30 and headed into free agency in 2027. Buckner is still among the league’s premier interior disruptors. And while it’s rare to see a top-end blocker traded midseason, Nelson, 30, remains among the league’s best at his position. And if the Philadelphia Eagles can get a second-round pick back for Cam Jurgens, then what might Nelson fetch?
It might even be worth taking 50 cents on the dollar to spin Gardner off given the Jets structured his four-year extension with large base salaries – meaning his contract isn’t all that hard to export if a buyer can be found.
And unfair as stripping down the roster is to head coach Shane Steichen – and the very capable offensive architect has been subject to all kinds of unfair during his three-plus seasons and should be commended for going 27-30 anyway and may well deserve the chance to stick around into 2027 and beyond – Irsay-Gordon would probably help entice better GM candidates by luring them with a clean slate and fresh draft capital rather than asking someone new to come in and start by doing dirty work, the way the winless Miami Dolphins have with their new brain trust.
"I'm pissed. We're all pissed,” Irsay-Gordon said in January, after the Colts lost their final seven games following an 8-2 start to the 2025 season while also explaining her decision to retain Ballard and Steichen.
Don’t get mad. Get even – busier rebuilding. It's beyond time.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: With GM fired, flailing Colts need to trade Jonathan Taylor | Opinion