It's safe to say that Indianapolis Colts' general manager Chris Ballard should be feeling uneasy. He's been the general manager since 2017, and had just one playoff victory to boast of. He's overseen chaos, particularly at quarterback, having cycled through 12 - yes, 12 - starting QBs during his tenure. That includes recently, where his recent draft pick, Anthony Richardson, was benched in favor of Joe Flacco, leading many fans to wonder if they were about to take another ride on the carousel.
This is far from what fans were promised. He held up a martini glass before the draft one year, boasting, To create something special is really freakin’ hard, but dammit, we’re gonna do it. Here’s to kicking everyone’s ass.”
That never came, and now, he's rumored to be on the hot seat. It seems likely that fans would celebrate his firing, but would his replacement be any better? Here are a few candidates.
Ed Dodds
Lost in the shuffle today, #Colts Assistant GM Ed Dodds is officially returning to Indy. Dodds said no thanks to Carolina, Detroit hired someone else, and he wasn’t in the race for any other jobs.
— Locked On Colts Podcast (@LockedOnColts) January 14, 2021
Ballard’s top guy is back in the front office. pic.twitter.com/8ZrRIyB2PE
Ed Dodds is the assistant general manager, and it wouldn't be altogether surprising for Jim Irsay to simply promote from within if he lets go of Ballard. And Dodds wouldn't necessarily be a bad choice; after all, he was the man responsible for putting together the Seattle Seahawks' Legion of Boom.
He's also a hot commodity; he's been recruited by multiple other teams, including for general manager positions, and has turned them down. He loves Indianapolis and wants to stay here.
However, would promoting the assistant GM change much, or would it just result in the same problems continuing on in a different era?
Mike Borgonzi
#Chiefs assistant general manager Mike Borgonzi is one of the top candidates to interview for the #Jets general manager job, league source says.
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) November 20, 2024
Borgonzi has been in the Kansas City organization for 16 years now & interviewed last year with teams for the position. 3x SB champ. pic.twitter.com/Q7iwcU14NI
Borgonzi is currently the assistant GM for the Kansas City Chiefs, and has been there since 2009 in various roles. But he's one of the hottest commodities for teams looking for general managers in 2025, with numerous teams allegedly expressing interest.
He worked his way up from college scouting administrator to general manager Brett Veach's right hand man, the third GM he's worked under during his time with the Chiefs, but it seems he's ready to run his own team.
The problem for the Colts, if they are interested, is that they'll have to fight off numerous other teams to get him.
Brian Gaine
A lot of teams seem to be interested in Gaine, currently the assistant manager for the Buffalo Bills who are, needless to say, on fire this year. He was the GM for the Houston Texans for one year before being shockingly fired, but he rebounded with the Bills, first as a senior personnel advisor before being promoted to his current position.
Gaine allegedly had issues with Texans' head coach Bill O'Brien, but he helped them create a good roster, and he did it again with the Bills. The Colts need that; there is plenty of talent on this team, but not much depth.