The Indianapolis Colts suffered their worst lost of the season in Week 6. Indy lost against a winless Tennessee squad, leaving them at 2-4 on the season. Carlie Irsay-Gordon decided to make a big move as a result, firing longtime general manager Chris Ballard. Now the future of almost everyone in the organization is up in the air.
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano weighed in on several trending topics around the league in their latest article. They spent some time talking about the fate of the Colts, specifically head coach Shane Steichen.
Anything feels possible for the Colts after firing Ballard. Steichen was not fired simultaneously with Ballard, but that does not mean his job is safe.
“The sentiment as of now is that Colts coach Shane Steichen will get more chances to state his case for the job moving forward,” Fowler wrote. “But typically, franchises like to synchronize their brain trust on similar timelines, often with a newly appointed general manager spearheading a search for the new coach. That might not bode well for Steichen, whose acumen never has been questioned. He'd be in the mix for head coaching jobs or primo [play caller] positions in the 2027 cycle.”
Graziano agreed that Steichen seems to be well regarded inside the organization. That could keep him around for the rest of the 2026 season. But as Fowler noted, the next general manager the Colts hire will almost certainly want to hand pick their head coach.
The Colts could also become sellers at the upcoming NFL trade deadline on November 10th. NFL insiders have already named Quenton Nelson as a potential trade candidate. Other veteran players like DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart may also be attractive to any teams looking to buy at the deadline.
Article Continues BelowIt will be interesting to see how Indy performs in their next few games. The outcome of those contests could determine how quickly ownership smashes the reset button in Indy.
Next up for the Colts is a road game against the undefeated Vikings.