GM Chris Ballard plans to spend offseason finding solutions to Colts late-season woes

By Canadian Press on January 8, 2026.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard skipped the excuses during his end of season news conference.

He refused to blame the franchise’s second-half collapse and five-year playoff drought on injuries — or anything else.

Instead, Ballard said he intends to spend this offseason finding solutions for Indy’s continual late-season failures.

“In ’21, we’re 9-6 and if we win one of the last two, we’re in the playoffs,” he said. “In ’23, we win the last game, we win the division. Last year, at the end, and we go to New York and lay an egg (against the Giants). This year, we have a chance, and we lose seven in a row. So I’ve not lost confidence. We want to win the division, we want to win the Super Bowl and ultimately that’s what need to be able to get to make this city proud.”

Colts fans have heard this all before and are hoping this time will be different.

Last season, the late Jim Irsay gave Ballard and coach Shane Steichen another chance to prove they could get Indy (8-9) back to the postseason. Ballard changed his approach by signing several high-priced free agents and making a blockbuster deal at the trade deadline.

It almost worked. Indy jumped out to an 8-2 start only to watch it all unravel as Ballard’s highest-profile acquisitions — quarterback Daniel Jones and cornerbacks Sauce Gardner and Charvarius Ward — each went down with injuries.

But Irsay’s daughters — Carlie Irsay-Gordon, Casey Foyt and Kalen Jackson — are giving Ballard and Steichen yet another chance to get it right.

On Monday, Irsay-Gordon repeatedly told reporters the urgency of returning to the playoffs has never been higher. On Tuesday, they released a letter to the public.

Ballard responded Thursday by citing some of the changes that must made if the Colts intend to overcome injuries and have a stronger finishing kick.

“We’ve got to handle adversity better, we’ve got to finish better,” he said. “We were 2-7 in one-possession games. We’ve got to flip that trend. There are things in two-minute that we have to look at because we were giving up too many scores at the end of halves. That’s something that’s got to be corrected. I’m not necessarily saying I have the answers right now, but we’re working toward that.”

Jones & Pierce

Ballard made it clear re-signing Jones and receiver Alec Pierce are both high on the priority list.

Jones was in the MVP conversation until November when he suffered a fractured lower left leg and then a season-ending torn right Achilles tendon. Pierce, meanwhile, is expected to cash in on his deep-threat ability after leading all NFL qualifiers in yards per reception each of the past two seasons.

“He’s a pretty freaky talent in terms of athletic ability. Will he be the version you saw right away? Maybe not, but he still could be pretty good right away. I think Daniel has a very bright future in Indianapolis,” Ballard said, referring to Jones before addressing Pierce. “From the day we worked him out at the University of Cincinnati. we had a great belief in Alec Pierce. I think he’s been a good player every year.”

Richardson’s future

The biggest offseason question might be what Indy does with quarterback Anthony Richardson.

In addition to dealing with an array of injuries since being selected with the No. 4 overall draft pick in 2023, Richardson has struggled with his accuracy and threw only two passes in 2025 after Jones won the starting job in training camp.

“Going into training camp, I thought Anthony had made great strides,” Ballard said. “He’s a great teammate. I think time will tell, but it was great to get him back out to practice for that last three weeks or at least getting him involved with the team and moving again.”

Defensive changes

The defense could be in line for a major overhaul with big money tied up in older veterans, some key players hitting free agency and as Ward contemplates retirement following three concussions this season.

“I think our age showed a little bit, and we’ve got to get younger,” Ballard said. We’ve got to get faster on the defensive side.”

Two veterans who do fit into the Colts’ long-term plans are three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle DeForest Buckner and Gardner, a two-time All-Pro. Both battled injuries over the last two months of the season but are expected to be key long-term building blocks for Ballard.

“I said, ‘Look, would we get this guy in the draft?’ Well, OK, maybe with a little luck,” Ballard said when asked about trading two first-round picks for Gardner. “But you talk about a premier guy who’s 24 years old and the contract, we thought, was advantageous. He’s got a bright future and he’s going to be a core piece for us here for a while.”

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Michael Marot, The Associated Press

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