The Colts have made a major change in the wake of Sunday’s loss to the Titans.
Owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon announced that they have fired General Manager Chris Ballard. Ballard had been in the job since 2017 and made the playoffs twice in his first four seasons, but have not been back since 2020 while cycling through a number of different quarterbacks.
That led Irsay-Gordon to say this offseason that improvement was needed, but Sunday’s loss dropped the Colts to 1-5 on the season and became the final act of his tenure.
“I am grateful to Chris for his years of service to the Colts and for everything he poured into this organization,” Irsay-Gordon said in a statement. “He cared deeply about our team and our community, and we wish Chris and his family all the best. 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. 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.”
Head coach Shane Steichen remains on the job, but he’s clearly on thin ice moving forward with Ballard already gone.