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Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay insists he’s as frustrated as the team’s fans are about a fourth consecutive playoff absence.
He’s just not ready to start over.
About four hours after the Colts completed their season with a 26-23 overtime victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars, Irsay ended any speculation about possible offseason changes by announcing in a letter to fans that longtime General Manager Chris Ballard and second-year coach Shane Steichen would return next season.
“I’ve been evaluating our entire operation, and I believe in Chris Ballard and Shane Steichen and our collective ability to make the improvements needed to take us to the next level in 2025,” the 65-year-old owner wrote. “I know fans who want an immediate change in leadership will be disappointed. That means we all have a lot to prove, so we’ll get back to work and keep doing what we can to earn your support and make you proud to be a Colts fan.”
The decision stops, for now, the speculation fueled by another disappointing finish that a major offseason overhaul could be coming to the Colts in 2025. Indy finished 8-9, missing the playoffs for a fourth straight season.
Fans have been clamoring for changes, with defensive coordinator Gus Bradley taking most of the fire early this season. Steichen and Ballard came under increasing pressure following a 31-13 loss at Denver in Week 15 that damaged Indy’s postseason hopes and again two weeks later with a 45-33, playoff-eliminating loss at the woeful New York Giants.
Former Colts punter and media personality Pat McAfee took to Twitter and ESPN to say he would not be renewing his season tickets while questioning what kind of standards Colts players and coaches are held to.
Some fans lined up behind McAfee’s comments, strongly urging Irsay to make changes, and some of them made their preference clear by chanting “Fire Ballard” in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game.
Indianapolis has only reached the postseason twice and has only one playoff win in Ballard’s eight-year tenure, going a full decade without an AFC South crown. Only six NFL teams have longer division title droughts. The other three teams in Indy’s division have each won at least two titles during that span.
“As we close out this season, I can’t tell you how disappointed I am that we failed to win the AFC South and earn a playoff appearance. There’s a high standard in this city for our team and anyone who steps on the field wearing the horseshoe,” wrote Irsay, who has been battling health issues since a fall in late 2023. “I know you invest your time, energy, and money into the Colts every year. More than anything, we want to reward you with division titles and playoff runs, and we’ve fallen short in the most painful ways possible.”
Indy’s recent history is filled with chapters like the one that played out at Denver, where Pro Bowl running back Jonathan Taylor dropped the ball before crossing the goal line, costing the team a touchdown. Or the Giants game in which the defense allowed New York’s struggling offense to score a season-high 45 points.
Last year, it was Tyler Goodson’s dropped pass on fourth-and-1 in Week 18 that sealed the Texans’ 23-19 victory—giving Houston the division crown and eliminating the Colts on their home field. Two years earlier, it was another befuddling final game, a 26-13 loss at Jacksonville that cost Indianapolis a playoff berth.
Nevertheless, the Colts will let Ballard and Steichen continue to try and develop 22-year-old quarterback Anthony Richardson, the strong-armed No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 draft.
Richardson has shown glimpses of game-changing ability when healthy, although his accuracy remains a major question. He completed a league low 47.7% of his throws this season.
Steichen, who is 17-17 in two seasons, wants to keep working with Richardson.
“Obviously, I love being the head football coach here, love everything about it, love this team,” he said. “Obviously, we’ll have an evaluation process early on this week, but I’m excited.”
Now he—and Ballard—know their fates as well as Irsay’s goals.
“The expectation is to win our division and compete for championships,” Irsay wrote. “Just being on the doorstep of the playoffs is not the standard I expect, nor what you deserve. We understand that and always accept the challenge.”
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The ONLY GM in NFL history with a losing record to keep his job after 8 years ….except Jerry Jones. Irsay made his decision. Colt season ticket holders need to make theirs.
already did
Unfortunately, I committed already for next year but Irsay has certainly gambled on whether I will do it again in ’26.
Problem for season ticket holders is that the renewal deadline for next year was weeks…if not months…ago.
Maybe that’s intentional?
Year 8 with Bill Polian: Super Bowl win and a roster of players who were consistently Pro Bowl material and eventual Hall of Famers.
Year 8 with Chris Ballard: dumpster fire. Seriously…it took OT to beat the hapless Jags, playing with a no-name QB, after that embarrassment in the Meadowlands? I think Pat McAfee is on the mark here: culture of losing.
They have got to rebuild the defense, starting with the coordinator and continuing with draft picks and free agents. Bad D is why they didn’t win a couple of the winnable games. Maybe Mr. Irsay can forgo a couple of classic guitars this year and invest in the roster instead.
Anyone who has seen Irsay knows his health condition appears dire. Certainly, giving him grace and prayers. Who knows who is actually running the organization at this time.
In Irsay’s defense, his health appears to have no impact on the results on the field. They’re just as mediocre as they were when he was power lifting.
The Bill Polian era is the only time in the Irsay era (Bob and Jim) that the Colts had continued success. Maybe it will be different when the daughters take over.
Ballard needs to go.
I would love to work for the Colts organization so I can fail to meet the metrics of any shred of success for eight years and yet still keep my job. In what other business is this acceptable?
the Hogsett administration
GM & HC need to be fired. Too many poor decisions during the season such as not kicking field goals, letting too much time elapse and bad play calling at key moments.
Add to the “losing culture”, no accountability for bad decisions.
Ballard laughing all the way to the bank. Very interesting….and embarrassing.
Sad day for the Colts franchise and ticket holders. Indy needs a winning team not a bunch of guys collecting millions for doing a poor job.
The entire offense is serviceable if we had a QB who could complete passes. The receivers have to love it when AR is out cause there are lots more passes to catch. Some upgrades to the O Line would help. The entire defense behind the D Line needs to go. We have to have the worst linebackers in the league. They miss so many tackles, get knocked out of position and can cover no one. We have to lead the league in giving up first downs on 3rd and long.