
October 19th, 2026
The Indianapolis Colts endured a five-year playoff drought and failed to secure their next franchise quarterback in the 2023 NFL draft.
On Monday, general manager Chris Ballard bore the consequences of both.
Team co-owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon announced that she had fired Ballard, who had been responsible for personnel decisions since 2017.
The move came one day after the hometown fans booed resoundingly throughout the second half of Sunday’s game, chanted “Fire Ballard” and left early as the Colts squandered a 13-point halftime lead and lost 26-20 to previously winless Tennessee.
Irsay-Gordon issued a statement asserting that the decision could not be deferred until the offseason.
"Our standard is to compete for championships, and I believe a change in leadership is necessary to meet that standard," she said.
"Making this change during the season was a deliberate decision.
Waiting would only delay the important work that needs to begin now."
She stated that a “thorough search” for Ballard’s successor had already been initiated.
Irsay-Gordon made her position clear in January when she declined to fire Ballard and coach Shane Steichen, even as fans called for their removal.
Instead, she said she understood the fans’ desire to field a championship-caliber team but brought both back, acknowledging that the urgency to make the playoffs could not be greater.
Indy (2-4) has not clinched the AFC South since 2014, constituting the longest title drought in the division.
Indeed, each of the other three teams has secured at least two division crowns since the Colts last claimed one.
However, the preliminary results did not yield a particularly significant difference.
Ballard spent the offseason overhauling the defense, only to watch it open the season by conceding 1,029 yards — the second-highest two-game total in league history.
Indy lost both games.
Wins over the then-winless Houston Texans and a Washington Commanders squad that was playing with a backup quarterback briefly quieted the outside calls for changes.
Another weak defensive display at Pittsburgh, together with Sunday's debacle — giving up a 13-0 halftime lead as the Titans' special teams scored one touchdown and set up another, while Indy managed only one score in the second half — only increased the pressure within the organization.
It was markedly different in the wake of the game.
“We have to give them something to cheer about,” a feistier than usual Steichen said.
“I don’t blame them for booing one freaking bit.”
DeForest Buckner, the Pro Bowl defensive tackle who is usually even-keeled, also showed his frustration.
“I’m utterly weary of the same tiresome routine year after year,” the team captain said.
Apparently, that proved sufficient to compel Irsay-Gordon to pull the plug on Ballard.
The next steps remain unclear.
On Sunday, Steichen was asked whether Daniel Jones—a quarterback who has suddenly become prone to turnovers—would retain his position, and whether he would implement any changes to his staff.
Although Steichen acknowledged that the Colts need to address the turnover issue, he made no commitment to any personnel changes.
Steichen is scheduled to address reporters later on Monday.
Indy (2-4) will visit unbeaten Minnesota (5-0) the following weekend before traveling to AFC South-leading Jacksonville (4-2) the week after; their next home game is scheduled for Nov. 8 against Dallas.
Ballard found himself caught up in some strange twists and turns that were not necessarily of his own choosing — Andrew Luck's sudden retirement in August 2019, seven straight season-openers started with a different quarterback, the midseason firing of coach Frank Reich and the subsequent hiring of Jeff Saturday in 2022, and a bitter contract dispute involving Irsay and Jonathan Taylor in 2023.
Then last year, needing a veteran quarterback to salvage a season that was rapidly unraveling, Ballard brought Philip Rivers out of retirement shortly after Rivers had been named a semifinalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Ballard also presided over a team that perpetually appeared to be on the verge of contending.
Indy ended a three-year playoff absence in 2018, when Luck led them to a wild-card round win at Houston before they fell in the divisional round at Kansas City, where Ballard had worked before Irsay-Gordon's late father, Jim, hired him.
Rivers led the Colts to their last postseason appearance in 2020, losing 27-24 at Buffalo.
Since then, Indy has likewise been eliminated on the final weekend on two separate occasions.
Yet it was arguably the decision to select quarterback Anthony Richardson with the No. 4 overall pick in 2023 that ultimately cost Ballard his job.
Richardson’s inaccuracy, inconsistency and injury history prompted the Colts to bring in Jones last season.
Jones ultimately prevailed in the battle to play, and as he guided the Colts offense to a historic start in 2025, Richardson continued to sit and watch while the Colts went 8-2.
However, a broken bone in Jones’ left leg derailed the season, and in December he suffered a season-ending torn right Achilles tendon.
Indy concluded the season by losing its final seven games.
This season’s poor start was, apparently, the final straw for Irsay-Gordon.
“I also want to be clear: this decision does not change our goals for the season,” Irsay-Gordon said.
“We have a lot of football in front of us, and I expect us to compete, improve, and win football games.”
Ballard, a Texan who played college football at Wisconsin, also worked in the Chicago Bears front office from 2001 to 2011 and coached at Texas A&M-Kingsville from 1994 to 1999.
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October 19th, 2026

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