Chris Ballard is officially out in Indianapolis, fired after a decade as the Colts’ general manager. This move isn’t exactly a shocker when you look at the stats: a 72-82-1 losing record, making him the longest-tenured GM in NFL history with that kind of ledger and just one or fewer postseason wins to show for it. After five straight years of missing the playoffs, something had to give.
The QB Carousel and Five Years of Missed Playoffs
The writing was on the wall, plain as day. Ever since Andrew Luck hung up his cleats back in 2019, Ballard just could not find a consistent answer at quarterback. That was a massive problem, a shadow hanging over his entire run. You throw in a bunch of underwhelming draft picks, and it’s a recipe for mediocrity. Things really ratcheted up when Carlie Irsay-Gordon stepped into leadership after her father, Jim Irsay, passed away in May 2025. She laid it all out there last offseason: the urgency for results had never been higher. Ballard’s string of ill-fated decisions, combined with those unmet expectations, sealed his fate. The Colts’ 72-82-1 record and those five straight playoff misses are the brutal proof.
The McDaniels Blindsiding That Started It All
Think back to February 2018. The Colts needed a new head coach after Chuck Pagano got canned in 2017. Ballard led the search, zeroed in on New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, interviewed him a couple times, and then, boom, he was the guy after McDaniels’ Super Bowl run. They even had a verbal agreement, announced it, and set up a press conference! Then McDaniels pulled the rug out. He just backed out, leaving Ballard completely blindsided and scrambling while other teams snatched up all the good coaching candidates. The Colts ended up settling on Frank Reich. And honestly? Reich did pretty well, all things considered. He was at the helm for both of the Ballard era’s playoff appearances and stacked up three winning seasons in four and a half years before he got fired in 2022. But it always came with that asterisk: he was never Ballard’s first choice.
Wentz and the Endless Search for a Signal-Caller
Then came March 2021, and the quarterback merry-go-round kept spinning. Philip Rivers, who was the second starting QB since Luck retired, announced he was calling it quits after the 2020 season. And just like that, Ballard was back to square one, looking for a signal-caller for the third straight offseason. He went after Carson Wentz…
It all just compounded, one bad decision on top of another. Now, the Colts are left with a huge question mark. Who’s stepping into the GM role, and can they finally be the one to solve this seemingly endless quarterback puzzle that has haunted Indianapolis for far too long?
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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