2026 should be a make-or-break season for many employed with the Indianapolis Colts organization. If the team fails again and changes aren't made, ownership needs to be held accountable. The issue is that complaining about what owners are doing or not doing doesn't change much. They are going to keep owning the team until they don't want to.
This relates to general manager Chris Ballard because he has been on the job for nine years before 2026 and has only made the playoffs twice. He also refers to late owner Jim Irsay's daughters, who currently own the team, as the "girls." At nearly any other organization, Ballard would be gone.
Whatever he has on the Colts owners, he needs to keep to himself because the threat of going public must keep him employed. (OK, that's clearly a joke, but many fans might wonder why he actually does have his job.)
Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard shows contrition, but does it matter?
Ballard seems to know he is on thin ice. He was asked about the potential of his getting an extension this offseason while speaking to the media on Tuesday, and the GM said, "No. I wouldn't do one... We need to win."
Some on social media might read the direct quote above and think, "Well, at least he is honest." Maybe the general manager, but let's be real. Someone in any walk of life being offered an extension and turning it down because he is thinking of the greater good for the future of the company is likely not going to turn down financial security.
Ballard is an odd sort. He can be exceedingly feisty with the media, and sometimes fans and players. When backed into a corner, as he was after the Colts missed the playoffs yet again last season, he tried to come across as understanding of failure. Chris Ballard likely is just smart about his surroundings, knowing who he is talking to and where.
That doesn't mean he is a bad human being. That doesn't have anything to do with whether he should keep his job with the Indianapolis Colts or not. He has a different area of blame for every lost season. Last season, the issue was injuries.
The throughline between 2017, when Ballard was hired, and 2026 is the general manager. No AFC South titles have been won, and every other team in the division has won the division multiple times.
Indy's general manager gets credit for building roster spots along the offensive and defensive lines, but he has been terrible at choosing edge rushers and quarterbacks. He hasn't been good at his job, proven by his lack of success.
He hopefully knows he needs to win to keep his job. Or maybe he doesn't. Perhaps the people he refers to as the "girls," the ones who ultimately sign his paycheck, aren't going to let him go if the team misses the playoffs for the sixth straight season since 2020.
Too bad fans can't do anything about that. Owners will do what they want while the Colts potentially continue to fail under Ballard's direction.
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