The Indianapolis Colts have fired general manager Chris Ballard after the team lost to the previously winless Tennessee Titans in Week 6. This wasn't a knee-jerk reaction to one game, of course. Ballard had been failing since 2017, and he needed to be let go years ago. But what happens next?
As bad as Ballard has been at his job, and his team has only made the playoffs twice in his tenure and not at all since 2020, his firing doesn't fix the issue with head coach Shane Steichen. That might not happen until a new GM is hired. Steichen is 7-25 against teams that are .500 or better. That isn't completely Ballard's fault, though he was the one who gave Steichen the players need to fail.
Ballard's biggest issues were not understanding how to draft a high-end quarterback and not being able to select a great edge rusher, too. He chose Anthony Richardson in 2023 in the first round, choosing a quarterback who was too raw and too inexperienced to help right away, though that is the position the team put Richardson in.
Indianapolis Colts fire general manager Chris Ballard
Edge rusher Laiatu Latu is trending toward being Indy's best pass rusher in Ballard's time with the team, but he hasn't been good in 2026, either. He has one sack in six games and no tackles for loss.
Ballard somehow got credit for building drafts, and he might have made some good choices along the offensive line, but he didn't know how to do well at skill positions on either side of the ball. He also allowed defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo to have far too much input on who to sign defensively. For that alone, Ballard could have been terminated.
Ultimately, fans won't miss Chris Ballard's feisty attitude during most press conferences, talking down to fans as if he had ever won anything. He never won the AFC South, and the team hasn't won a playoff game since 2018. He failed as a general manager, and the future of the franchise is brighter now that he is no longer a part of it.
Two of Chris Ballard's final mistakes could be long-lasting. He traded two first-round draft picks for cornerback Sauce Gardner last year, so the new GM won't have a first-rounder next year. Ballard also signed quarterback Daniel Jones to a two-year deal that could pay him through 2027, even though he's been terrible this year. The team could release him and save $38 million, though.
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