Philip Rivers Expected To Receive Coaching Interest
JANUARY 5: When speaking to the media on Monday (video link), Rivers confirmed he would be open to coaching at the NFL level. He added, however, that “there has been no substantive interest” to this point from teams in need of a new head coach. It remains to be seen if any formal interview requests will be made over the coming days.
JANUARY 4: Though he was deemed a healthy scratch for the Colts’ final game of the season, Philip Rivers‘ NFL comeback may not be over quite yet.
While the 44-year-old quarterback will retire from playing for a second time after the end of the regular season, he could stay in the league as a coach. Rivers is expected to receive interest from teams seeking new head coaches this offseason, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, with at least one interview expected.
Both NFL and college teams have considered Rivers for coaching jobs in the past, but he has generally been uninterested. That may have changed after his shocking return to the professional playing field this year.
Rivers’ appeal to NFL teams is obvious. He has already found success as a head coach, albeit as a high school level. His ability to come off the couch and start for the Colts showed that he is still in tune with the pro game. He has ties to a number of coaches across the league and could build a strong staff. Rivers’ age also makes him an old player but would also make him a young head coach. Being a former player would also help him connect with players, many of whom watched Rivers growing up. He had a reputation for taking huge hits in the pocket to get throws off; players who knew their coach gave it his all when he was on the field may be more inclined to do so as well.
The reasons why Rivers might consider a coaching job are just as clear. It would be a new challenge and a significant step up from high school ball. He would be able to stay in the NFL after clearly enjoying his comeback this year. But Rivers also has 11 kids. Taking an NFL coaching job would take him away from his family (or force them to uproot their lives and move).
A career in broadcasting may allow more flexibility; it certainly would not come with the burden and time constraints of being a head coach. He said on Up & Adams this week that he has “not ruled it out,” but noted that other opportunities haven’t “felt right.”
“The one thing I’ve loved since I was however old playing this game and being now as a coach is I’ve been able to have some impact on the score.” Rivers added. “You might be good at it, talking about it, but I have nothing to do with the outcome of this game.”
It’s hard to impact the outcome of the game from the broadcasting booth. But as a coach on the sidelines, everything he does would impact the outcome of the game.
Daniel Jones Interested In Re-Signing With Colts
The Giants paid dearly for overvaluing Daniel Jones‘ 2022 season. After declining Jones’ fifth-year option in 2022, the Giants gave him a $40MM-per-year deal minutes before the March 2023 franchise tag application deadline. This led to a Saquon Barkley franchise tag and 2024 exit.
Jones faceplanted on the second contract, struggling to both stay healthy or approach his previous play level. The Giants dropped Jones during the second season of the deal, but the former No. 6 overall pick found new life in Indianapolis. Given a one-year, $14MM accord to compete with Anthony Richardson, Jones overtook the erratic passer and had the Colts 8-2.
Before Jones’ Achilles tear, he had been playing through a fractured fibula. Both issues will factor into Jones’ free agency, but the Colts have interest in bringing him back. Jones is also interested in staying, though he did couch his statement on the topic ahead of his third free agency bid.
“I’d love to be back here,’’ Jones said, via Fox 59’s Mike Chappell. “I’ve enjoyed being here, working with the coaching staff here, the players. I think it’s a great organization and I’ve enjoyed being here. Obviously, there’s a business side to it and I understand that.”
Jones, 28, did well on the business side when he was last in a commanding leverage position. An asking price north of $45MM per year emerged — back when the $50MM-AAV QB club had not formed — and the Giants made him their top 2023 priority. It would not seem Jones would have as much leverage this time around, but the Colts traded their 2026 and ’27 first-round picks for Sauce Gardner at the deadline. Indianapolis did so while Jones was healthy, but the team now lacks key ammo to chase a younger option.
Carlie Irsay-Gordon announced the Colts would retain GM Chris Ballard and HC Shane Steichen, and Chappell notes “every indication” points to the duo being a package deal with Jones. Even with the Achilles tear, Jones should possess some leverage ahead of negotiations. The Colts are not believed to have begun those, but with Ballard receiving assurances he is staying, those should begin soon. Indianapolis’ issues finding a long-term signal-caller post-Andrew Luck also stand to help Jones in free agency.
Injury trouble is starting to pile up for Jones, though. He battled a significant neck issue in 2021 and suffered an ACL tear in 2023. The ACL tear came after more neck trouble sidelined him early in the 2023 season. With the fracture and Achilles tear now on Jones’ medical sheet, it would stand to reason the Colts could work out a team-friendlier deal. But the Vikings are expected to pursue a veteran QB to compete with J.J. McCarthy. Considering Minnesota made Jones an offer that was believed to be higher than what Indianapolis submitted, it will be interesting to see if the NFC North club is back in on the player it briefly employed to close the 2024 season.
Jones is expected back by training camp, and the Colts should be expected to re-sign him unless a major course change commences, ESPN.com’s Stephen Holder notes. Where Jones’ asking price settles will be one of this offseason’s key storylines.
Charvarius Ward Considering Retirement
In reeling in Charvarius Ward on a three-year deal worth up to $60MM last March, the Colts added one of the top cornerbacks on the free agent market. Ward looked like a worthwhile investment when he took the field in 2025, but three concussions limited him to just seven games.
With Ward still dealing with complications from his head injuries, he’s “seriously considering retirement,” Stephen Holder of ESPN reports. Ward’s father has already advised him to retire, according to Holder.
“With the brain injuries, you don’t really see it … until you get older sometimes,” said the 29-year-old Ward, who added that “the more I beat my brain up, the more it’ll affect me as I get older. So, I’ve got a lot of life to live out of football. I’ve got to think about my family and kids, too. So, we’ll see.”
Despite going undrafted out of Middle Tennessee State in 2018, a healthy version of Ward has been a consistently productive corner in the NFL. Ward divided his first seven seasons between Kansas City and San Francisco, where he combined for 89 starts and 10 interceptions. In 2023, his penultimate season with the 49ers, Ward notched a career-high five INTs and led the league with 23 passes defensed. He earned a Pro Bowl nod and second-team All-Pro honors for his efforts.
Ward didn’t pull in any interceptions during a 12-game 2024, nor did he in his truncated first season with the Colts. Nevertheless, Pro Football Focus ranked Ward the NFL’s eighth-best corner out of 114 qualifiers in 2025. Ward held opposing quarterbacks to a 56.3% completion rate and an 87.6 passer rating on 48 targets, per Pro-Football-Reference. He finished the year with 25 tackles and seven PDs in seven games (all starts).
Ward was healthy for Indianapolis’ season-opening win over Miami, but he suffered his first concussion of the year in that game and sat out Week 2. After returning to play in three straight, Ward’s second concussion occurred during pregame warmups in Week 6. The Colts placed Ward on injured reserve on Oct. 18. He came back after a four-game absence on Nov. 23, but the Colts made a Nov. 4 trade deadline splash at corner in the meantime.
Then 7-2 and in the mix for the AFC’s No. 1 seed, the Colts swung a massive deal with the Jets for Sauce Gardner, sending two first-round picks and wide receiver Adonai Mitchell to New York. The hope was Ward and Gardner would form a shutdown duo for the Colts. That didn’t come to fruition, though, as both corners were rarely healthy at the same time in 2025. They only played together in two games.
Ward went down with his third concussion in a Week 14 loss to the Jaguars, forcing him to IR again, while a calf strain kept Gardner out of three contests. Those injuries played a part in the Colts’ stunning second-half collapse. Once 8-2, their year ended with seven straight losses and a sub-.500 finish.
Although the Colts have not qualified for the playoffs in any of head coach Shane Steichen‘s three seasons, he and general manager Chris Ballard will return in 2026. It’s up in the air whether they’ll have Ward, but with a $7.98MM roster bonus due in March, he acknowledged he’ll have to make a quick decision on his future.
Updated 2026 NFL Draft Order
With the AFC North now settled (in rather dramatic fashion), the 2025 regular season is in the books. Following their decisions to shelve Brock Bowers and Maxx Crosby, the Raiders secured the No. 1 overall pick. After entering Week 17 in that slot, the Giants — as they did in 2024 — slipped out of the top two thanks to a late-season win.
Big Blue’s victories over the Raiders and Cowboys dropped them to No. 5, with today’s win allowing the Jets, Cardinals and Titans to leapfrog them. The Giants, who fell out of the No. 1 spot last year thanks to a Drew Lock-led win over the Colts in Week 17, will still hold a top-five pick — just not the one most expected two weeks ago. The Jets saw the Colts’ collapse, which dropped them from 8-2 to 8-9, give them two picks in the top 16.
The Cardinals started 2-0 but managed to close the season with 14 losses over their final 15 games. This will give Arizona a top-four pick for the third time in the Monti Ossenfort era. The GM traded out of that slot in 2023 before drafting Marvin Harrison Jr. in 2024; Ossenfort is expected to be retained for a fourth season, providing another opportunity. This will be the third straight year the Titans will hold a top-seven pick.
The Buccaneers beat the Panthers on Saturday, but thanks to a three-way NFC South tie, Tampa Bay’s draft slot will land out of the playoff positions for the first time since 2020. Because Atlanta defeated New Orleans today, Carolina’s first-round pick will slide into the bottom 14 despite its 8-9 finish — one that secured playoff entry for the first time since 2017.
Although the draft order is not fully set due to the upcoming playoffs, the first 18 picks are. Here is how the order looks after Week 18:
- Las Vegas Raiders (3-14)
- New York Jets (3-14)
- Arizona Cardinals (3-14)
- Tennessee Titans (3-14)
- New York Giants (4-13)
- Cleveland Browns (5-12)
- Washington Commanders (5-12)
- New Orleans Saints (6-11)
- Kansas City Chiefs (6-11)
- Cincinnati Bengals (6-11)
- Miami Dolphins (7-10)
- Dallas Cowboys (7-9-1)
- Los Angeles Rams (via Falcons)
- Baltimore Ravens (8-9)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-9)
- New York Jets (via Colts)
- Detroit Lions (9-8)
- Minnesota Vikings (9-8)
- Carolina Panthers (8-9)
- Dallas Cowboys (from Packers)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7)
- Los Angeles Chargers (11-6)
- Philadelphia Eagles (11-6)
- Buffalo Bills (12-5)
- Chicago Bears (11-6)
- San Francisco 49ers (12-5)
- Houston Texans (12-5)
- Cleveland Browns (from Jaguars)
- Los Angeles Rams (12-5)
- New England Patriots (14-3)
- Denver Broncos (14-3)
- Seattle Seahawks (14-3)
Colts To Retain Shane Steichen, Chris Ballard For 2026
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.
Colts Expected To Retain HC Shane Steichen
The Colts’ end-of-season slide out of the playoffs has stirred some speculation about the future of head coach Shane Steichen, but he is expected to be retained for the 2026 season, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Losing the last seven games of the year is a black mark on the record of any head coach, but Steichen has a massive mitigating factor: injuries to his starting quarterback. Daniel Jones was playing on a fractured fibula in November and then tore his Achilles at the beginning of December.
Up to that point, he was – as surprising as it sounds – one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL this season and the Colts had one of the league’s best offenses. Jones still ranks among the league’s top-10 passers in yards per game, yards per attempt, completion rate, passer rating, and total QBR. It would be difficult for any team to withstand that loss.
Steichen’s success with Jones, a former top-10 pick turned reclamation project, is the Colts’ main reason to keep him. While Jones’ exact future is uncertain after his injury, the Colts appeared to be interested in re-signing him for 2026 and beyond. Since Steichen has brought out the best version of Jones, it would make little sense to move on now.
What’s more, the Colts have improved on both sides of the ball in each year of Steichen’s tenure, and 2025 was set to be his most successful season by far until Jones went down. Again, firing that head coach three years into the job feels like the wrong move.
Sill, Colts owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon is somewhat of an unknown heading into the offseason. Similar to her late father, Jim Irsay, she has taken a hands-on approach with running the franchise. Just as some have questioned Steichen’s job security, even more have wondered if general manager Chris Ballard could be on his way out. The Colts have never won the AFC South in his nine years as general manager, but he may be given some grace for the same reason as Steichen. Ballard built what appeared to be a competitive team this year, including his aggressive trade deadline acquisition of Sauce Gardner. His ability to make that move is an indicator that his job was relatively secure, though the Colts’ late-season struggles have re-raised those questions.
Ultimately, Ballard and Steichen are expected to stay in Indianapolis, but both – especially Ballard – could find themselves on the hot seat next year.
Minor NFL Transactions: 1/3/26
After the final standard gameday practice squad elevations of the 2025 regular season, the three-game elevation limit resets for the postseason, so only players getting signed to the 53-man roster because of the limit will be noted today. Saturday’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed from practice squad: WR Tejhaun Palmer
- Elevated: CB Jaden Davis, WR Steven Sims
Atlanta Falcons
- Elevated: P Trenton Gill
Baltimore Ravens
- Elevated: WR Keith Kirkwood, CB Amani Oruwariye
Buffalo Bills
- Elevated: LB Keonta Jenkins, DE Matt Judon
Chicago Bears
- Elevated: TE Nikola Kalinic, LB Ty Summers
Cincinnati Bengals
- Elevated: DT Howard Cross III, CB Bralyn Lux
Cleveland Browns
- Signed from practice squad: LB Edefuan Ulofoshio
- Elevated: TE Sal Cannella
- Placed on IR: LB Carson Schwesinger
Dallas Cowboys
- Activated from IR: RB Phil Mafah
- Activated from reserve/PUP: CB Josh Butler
- Signed from practice squad: LB Justin Barron
- Elevated: G Nick Leverett
- Placed on IR: G T.J. Bass, RB Malik Davis, RB Javonte Williams
Denver Broncos
- Elevated: LB Levelle Bailey
Detroit Lions
- Elevated: TE Zach Horton, OL Chris Hubbard
- Placed on IR: OL Trystan Colon
Green Bay Packers
- Signed from practice squad: WR Jakobie Keeney-James, G Lecitus Smith
- Elevated: TE Drake Dabney, LB Jamon Johnson
- Placed on IR: OL Donovan Jennings, WR Savion Williams
Houston Texans
- Elevated: DT Leki Fotu, S Kaevon Merriweather
Indianapolis Colts
- Elevated: QB Seth Henigan, TE Sean McKeon
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Elevated: TE Patrick Herbert
Kansas City Chiefs
- Elevated: WR Jason Brownlee, WR Jimmy Holiday
Las Vegas Raiders
- Elevated: LB Jamin Davis, T Dalton Wagner
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed from practice squad: S Marcus Maye
- Elevated: G Branson Taylor, QB DJ Uiagalelei
- Placed on IR: CB Nikko Reed
Miami Dolphins
- Elevated: LB Derrick McLendon, RB Jeff Wilson
Minnesota Vikings
- Elevated: WR Jeshaun Jones, LB Sione Takitaki
New Orleans Saints
- Signed from practice squad: TE Treyton Welch
- Elevated: QB Jake Haener, RB Nyheim Miller-Hines
New York Giants
- Signed from practice squad: CB Jarrick Bernard-Converse, WR Xavier Gipson, RB Dante Miller
- Elevated: TE Tanner Conner, DT Casey Rogers
- Placed on IR: CB Cor’Dale Flott, DT Rakeem Nunez-Roches Sr., WR Wan’Dale Robinson
New York Jets
- Signed from practice squad: QB Hendon Hooker, DE Kingsley Jonathan, G Kohl Levao
- Elevated: RB Raheem Blackshear, CB Samuel Womack III
- Placed on IR: RB Isaiah Davis, OL Xavier Newman-Johnson, TE Mason Taylor
Philadelphia Eagles
- Elevated: LS Charley Hughlett, S Brandon Johnson
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Elevated: CB D’Shawn Jamison
San Francisco 49ers
- Elevated: LB Eric Kendricks, T Brandon Parker
Seattle Seahawks
- Elevated: RB Cam Akers, CB Tyler Hall
Tennessee Titans
- Activated from IR: OLB Ali Gaye, WR Bryce Oliver
- Signed from practice squad: CB Kemon Hall
- Elevated: TE Cole Turner
- Placed on IR: CB Jalyn Armour-Davis (story), WR Van Jefferson
Washington Commanders
- Elevated: DT Ricky Barber, WR River Cracraft
The Browns made it known yesterday that they were shutting down Schwesinger and tight ends David Njoku and Harold Fannin Jr. for the final week of the season, but the Defensive Rookie of the Year-favorite is the only one to land on IR.
In Dallas, Williams failed to practice this week as he dealt with shoulder and neck issues. With Davis also being placed on IR, the Cowboys will rely on rookie fifth-rounder Jaydon Blue and the recently activated Mafah, a seventh-round rookie, in Week 18. The team used their eighth and final IR activation to bring Mafah back for a potential NFL debut.
Because Green Bay didn’t elevate recently signed practice squad quarterback Desmond Ridder, it appears either Malik Willis will be healthy enough to back up Clayton Tune or Jordan Love will serve as the potential QB2 for the Packers in Week 18.
Judon is set to make his Bills debut in the team’s regular season finale after signing to their practice squad two weeks ago.
With Saints backup quarterback Spencer Rattler not practicing this week with a finger injury, Haener gets the call to back up rookie Tyler Shough.
Hall in Tennessee had already been called up as a standard gameday practice squad elevation three times this season. In order for him to appear in the Titans’ regular season finale, the move to the 53-man roster was necessary.
NFL Staff Updates: Partridge, Bicknell, Bricillo
The Colts are set to lose defensive line coach Charlie Partridge after just his second season with the team. According to ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg, the 52-year-old assistant is heading back to the college ranks to coach the defensive line at Notre Dame.
Partridge’s stay in Indianapolis saw his NFL coaching debut after a long college coaching career. Starting as a graduate assistant at Drake for two years and following that up with two more years as a GA at Iowa State, Partridge spent two years as the Cyclones director of football operations before earning his first position coaching gig at Eastern Illinois, coaching defensive line and linebackers.
After a single season with Eastern Illinois, Partridge spent five years at Pitt (three as defensive ends coach, one as special teams coordinator/DL coach, one as ST coordinator/LB coach), five years at Wisconsin (three as ST coordinator/DL coach, two as assistant head coach/co-defensive coordinator/DL coach), and a year at Arkansas as assistant HC/DL coach. Those 12 years of position coaching gave Partridge his first shot at a head coaching gig at Florida Atlantic, but after going 3-9 three years in a row, Partridge returned to Pittsburgh, where he spent a season as DL coach before adding co-DC to his title for six more years.
Partridge’s NFL opportunity came next, and in Year 1, his defensive line was part of a unit that ranked 24th in run defense, 26th in sacks, and 24th in total pressures. This year was much improved (fifth in run defense, 14th in sacks, fourth in total pressures), but Partridge will head back to the college ranks of the game to reunite with Fighting Irish defensive coordinator Chris Ash, with whom he worked at Drake, Wisconsin, and Arkansas.
Here are a couple other assistant coaching updates from around the league:
- Rittenberg also reported today that recently fired Raiders senior offensive assistant Bob Bicknell is also going to a coaching job in the NCAA. Unlike with Partridge, this seems like a temporary gig for Bicknell, who has only coached at the college level for one of the past 19 years. He started out coaching safeties then running backs then linebackers at Boston University from 1993-97. He then spent eight years as a coach in NFL Europe coaching defensive line in Frankfurt for a year before switching to offensive line and serving as offensive coordinator/OL coach in Berlin and Cologne. He returned to the States in 2006 to coach OL at Temple, and aside from spending 2017 as a wide receivers coach at Baylor, Bicknell has been in the NFL ever since, coaching offensive line, tight ends, and wide receivers at different points in time for the Chiefs, Bills, Eagles, 49ers, Bengals, and Patriots, with two stints as a senior offensive assistant with the Saints and Raiders, as well. He has been hired to coach tight ends at Northwestern, but if his history is any clue to his intentions, he may look to return to an NFL role after a year with the Wildcats.
- In New York, Giants fans will be happy to hear that offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo‘s contract extends into 2026, according to Ryan Dunleavy of New York Post Sports. Following the firing of Brian Daboll, nothing is set in stone for the rest of this year’s coaching staff, but Dunleavy claims that Giants fans on X have been advocating for Bricillo to stay under the team’s next head coach. Bricillo has confirmed that his contract extends into next season, so he should remain on staff unless the team makes the decision to fire him.
Colts Likely To Retain GM Chris Ballard
The Colts will become just the sixth team since the 1970 merger to start 8-2 and miss the playoffs. This had not happened previously since the 1995 Raiders pulled it off. Considering Chris Ballard‘s time on the GM job in Indianapolis, it is logical to wonder if ownership pulls the plug here.
Ballard engineered a blockbuster trade at the deadline, surrendering two first-round picks and second-year wide receiver Adonai Mitchell for Sauce Gardner. The All-Pro cornerback’s calf injury wounded Indy’s defense considerably, and the team has now lost six straight games. Philip Rivers‘ arrival has shined a spotlight on this losing streak. Beyond the human-interest angle, the 44-year-old passer lost his three starts to move the Colts out of the playoff race.
[RELATED: Riley Leonard To Start Over Rivers In Week 18]
This will be Ballard’s fifth straight season without a playoff berth, with Rivers’ one-and-done first stint being the most recent qualification. The Colts then lost a win-and-in game as a double-digit favorite in Jacksonville — where the team has not won throughout Ballard’s tenure — before striking out on Anthony Richardson in the 2023 draft. Plenty has gone wrong for Ballard, who has nevertheless retained much of the core he had built dating back to Andrew Luck‘s final season. The Colts have also not won the AFC South on Ballard’s watch.
All this said, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler notes Ballard is believed to be safe for what would be a 10th year at the helm. Ballard has a good working relationship with new controlling owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon, Fowler colleague Dan Graziano adds. While Fowler notes some around the league believe Ballard would be the first to go if Irsay-Gordon signs off on changes, the quality working relationship with the former Jim Irsay hire represents a plus.
Irsay-Gordon effectively challenged Ballard and Shane Steichen upon taking over for her late father, and the third-generation NFL owner has become famous for wearing a headset on the sideline to learn more about the Colts’ gameday inner workings. She has worn the headset for years, and although she does not communicate with coaches in-game, The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue indicates one team called Ballard to complain about the new owner wearing the headset. Not that Ballard is in a position to indicate he doesn’t want the team’s owner on a headset, but the veteran exec vehemently expressed support (via Rodrigue) for her doing so.
Steichen was in his first months on the job when the Colts drafted Richardson, who underperformed in 2024 — as woeful inaccuracy and maturity concerns defined his second season — and has battled extensive injury trouble. Richardson’s orbital injury led to Rivers’ unretirement, and the former No. 4 overall pick will not be activated from IR this season. He is a decent bet to be elsewhere in 2026, the final year of his rookie contract.
Ballard and Steichen missing on Richardson — after a crowded QB carousel spun post-Luck — and then going from 8-2 to a playoff absence represents a tough sell, but not too much was expected of the Colts this season. The team also sitting 8-4 when Daniel Jones suffered an Achilles tear also provides a point of defense for Ballard, who looked to have done well to stop the carousel with the former Giants starter. Jones and the Colts are expected to enter some complex contract talks, based on the leverage the QB gained with the Gardner trade removing a first-round pick from the equation and then suffering another major injury, in the near future.
It should be expected Ballard will lead those conversations from the Colts’ side. While it would not be shocking to see Irsay-Gordon fire Ballard based on this year’s collapse, it currently appears he will be back. If that happens, the embattled GM should certainly be considered a hot-seat occupant come 2026.
QB Philip Rivers Will Not Play In 2026
Philip Rivers largely impressed (considering expectations) during his three-game return to the NFL. After attempting to rescue the Colts’ season late in 2025, though, he will not continue his comeback into next year. 
In the wake of Daniel Jones suffering an Achilles tear, head coach Shane Steichen reached out to Rivers about unretiring. A deal was quickly worked out, and the 44-year-old made three consecutive starts. Indianapolis lost all three games, ending the team’s chances of reaching the playoffs. Rivers will not start in the season finale, and he will not attempt to land a spot with the Colts or any other team in 2026.
“There’s no chance,” the eight-time Pro Bowler said during an appearance on the Up & Adams show when asked about continuing his career (video link). “It was a place I’d been, a team I was familiar with, the offense was exactly the same, a coach I knew, it was all those things, our football season was over, all those things made it the perfect storm… This was a fun three-week blur that nobody saw coming, including myself. And that’ll be it.”
Rivers confirmed, to little surprise, his attention will return to his high school coaching duties. His two eldest sons will be together in 2026 on the team he coaches. The Colts, meanwhile, will look to retain Jones after the success he enjoyed on a one-year deal this season. Sixth-round rookie Riley Leonard – who will start this week – figures to remain in the team’s plans moving forward. (Seth Henigan will be the Colts’ backup this week, per Fox59’s Mike Chappell, opening the door to Rivers being inactive for his final game.) The same may not be true of Anthony Richardson, who looms as a candidate for a change of scenery depending on the nature of his trade market.
Rivers was a semifinalist for this year’s Pro Football Hall of Fame class. Returning to the NFL reset his five-year eligibility clock, however. A lengthy wait will now ensue to see if he the longtime Chargers QB1 ultimately winds up in Canton.
On a few occasions prior to 2025, Rivers’ name emerged as a candidate for a post-retirement run of action. It appeared as though his window of opportunity on that front had closed before the Colts gig became available. Now, Rivers will reprise his role as a coach without giving further consideration to another short-term NFL stint.