While some changes could be coming on the sidelines or in the front office relatively soon, the Colts will have a large degree of stability in both regards. Head coach Shane Steichen and general manager Chris Ballard are both safe, per a team announcement. 
This news comes as little surprise. Recent indications for both Ballard and Steichen have suggested they would be safe for 2026, and that is now officially the case. Owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon will conduct a press conference on Monday, per the announcement.
Ballard and Steichen were floated as hot seat occupants entering the campaign based on their inability to find success following the Anthony Richardson selection. Expectations were tempered early with Daniel Jones at the helm, but his surprising level of play helped guide Indianapolis to a record of 8-2 at the bye. A postseason berth – and potential the AFC’s top seed – seemed well within reach. The past two months have seen a dramatic decline, however.
Jones suffered a partial fibula fracture and then an Achilles tear, ending his promising season. Injuries have also dealt a notable blow on defense in general and the secondary in particular throughout 2025. That factor, coupled with a string of challenging matchups against playoff-bound opponents, contributed to a seven-game losing streak to finish the campaign. As ESPN’s Stephen Holder notes, the Colts have become the first time in league history to finish with a losing record despite being at least six games over .500 at one point.
That unwanted piece of history would add to the case against Ballard in particular. Holder confirms, however, that the late-season collapse did not play a major role in deciding the fate of the Colts’ HC-GM combo. The team will look for better luck on the health front and for dividends from moves such as the Sauce Gardner trade, one which leaves it without a first-round pick in 2026 or ’27. Retaining Jones will loom as a major priority.
Ballard has operated as Indianapolis’ general manager since 2017. In that span, the team has gone 70-78-1, reaching the postseason on only two occasions. With just one playoff victory to his name, Ballard drew increasing criticism for his reliance on retaining in-house player for much of his tenure. 2025 saw a departure in philosophy, with the Gardner blockbuster being preceded by multiple free agent splashes. In her first full offseason running the team, Irsay-Gordon has elected to allow Ballard to continue seeing out the vision set forth last spring.
Steichen was hired in 2023 after a strong run as an offensive coordinator with the Chargers and Eagles. The 40-year-old guided the team to a 9-8 finish in his first season in place. 2025 marks the second in a row with a record of 8-9, but that run of mediocrity and an absence of playoff action will not outweigh the impressive showings from Indianapolis early this year.
The AFC South features a Jaguars team which went 13-4 in 2025 and a Texans squad preparing for its third straight playoff appearance. The Titans will likely have increased expectations for next year, Cam Ward‘s second in the NFL. The Colts will rely on familiar faces as they look to replicate the success from this fall moving forward.
I thought the daughter was going to be different than her father, guess not.
Nah, the media sold us an empowered girl boss narrative, even though she’s worn a headset for 10 years.
Interesting
I’d be moving on from Ballard. He just hasn’t gotten it done, and it’s mostly his own fault.
I could see an argument where Irsay drive a few of his larger failures (Ryan and Richardson), but Ballard has shown pockets of brilliance (Buckner, Taylor, Leonard, hell, even Jones) in the middle. It’s also just a year into Irsay-Gordon’s regime; I could see her being patient to try to figure things out with an extra year to see if this collapse was a fluke on her watch or whether it’s an issue endemic with Ballard’s tenure. He’s been on since 2017, but all but last year were also under one of the most meddlesome and outspoken owners in the league.
I don’t know if she’s different than her father in his involved she is with decision making, or whether she just wants to observe more to get a better grip on what she thinks of her employees. It seems to me that Irsay-Gordon considers this collapse bad luck, which is fair, but it’s also happened several times to Ballard’s Colts-they’ve made great moves, looked really competitive, and then had some sort of catastrophic injury or two derail their season without hopes of recovery (the Richardson misadventure not withstanding-that was just a stupid pick).
Still not a fan of two 1st rounders for a corner, even if he does eventually get back to elite play, if it was just one 1st I would be ok with that
Even with his “elite play”, Gardner did’nt help a great deal. The defense was so porous that nobody was intimidated by them. The defense must be their number one priority.