There's a lot riding on the 2025 season for the Indianapolis Colts. Carlie Irsay-Gordon, who took over as CEO of the team after her father, Jim Irsay, passed away this spring, already has fired warning shots to general manager Chris Ballard and head coach Shane Steichen over the lackluster status of the team in recent years.
The Colts, once a dynasty to be feared, have become a joke under their leadership. Indianapolis hasn't been to the playoffs in four years and hasn't won a playoff game in six. The Colts can't seem to find a franchise quarterback, and there is seemingly no shortage of drama on the roster.
So what can fans expect for 2025? There have already been plenty of predictions made, and some of them may well come true: Anthony Richardson takes over for Daniel Jones and finishes the season as QB1, Irsay-Gordon gets tired of Steichen's shenanigans and fires him, Tyler Warren gets named Offensive Rookie of the Year, who knows.
Weird predictions for the Indianapolis Colts in 2025
But what about some less likely predictions? What are some weird, crazy, and outright never-gonna-happen things that Colts fans could only come up with in their wildest fever dreams? We've got a few suggestions.
Andrew Luck comes out of retirement to take over as QB1
Next to Peyton Manning, Andrew Luck may be the best quarterback Indianapolis has ever had. He was poised to become a Hall-of-Fame worthy QB, until he abruptly retired in 2019. The Colts never quite recovered.
After five years, Luck has finally returned to football, albeit not on the field. Instead, he joined Stanford as general manager of its football program.
But let's imagine: being around the beloved sport starts stirring that competitive nature in him again, and after seeing how horrible the 2025 season is going under both Richardson and Jones, he decides to come out of retirement and take over at quarterback, leading the Colts to glory again.
We can dream, right?
Peyton Manning gets named general manager of the Colts
There's no doubting that Ballard is on the hot seat. In addition to the already-mentioned lack of success, Ballard has placed the Colts on a seemingly never-ending quarterback carousel, making his way through 12 quarterbacks in less than 10 years. And if the Colts don't win this season, we already know Irsay-Gordon is ready to show Ballard the door.
So let's imagine that she does kick Ballard to the curb... and hires none other than The Sheriff to be his replacement. You can bet Manning would whip this team into shape right away, and not a single Colts fan would protest.
Tony Dungy comes out of retirement to coach Indy again
Dungy retired in 2008, and let's be honest: Shane Steichen just isn't anywhere close to his caliber of coaching. Steichen has been a disaster as head coach, and like Ballard, is just a couple of losses away from being tossed out.
Yes, Dungy is retired, and he's 69 years old. But that's still younger than Pete Carroll, and not far off from Andy Reid. The Colts need someone to set this team straight again, and it would be the most exciting thing ever if Dungy returned to Indy to coach.