Chris Ballard isn't new to being the general manager of the Indianapolis Colts. He took his position in January 2017, which makes him the ninth-longest serving GM in the NFL with the same team. He is seventh if you don't count owners who act as GMs for the team.
Yet, Ballard is the only one of that group who hasn't made the Super Bowl. He is the only one who hasn't won a divisional title. The next four longest-serving general managers after Ballard have all won division titles, too. In other words, nearly half of the GMs who have been on their jobs the longest in the league have won at least a division title, except for Chris Ballard.
His team has also made the playoffs just twice in his nine seasons. This begs the question of why so many give him credit for excellent roster building when his rosters have reached the postseason only two times. Maybe Ballard is overrated, but Indy keeps bringing him back year after year with the same kind of level of success.
NFL analyst has the perfect take on Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard
There is a word for doing the same thing over and over again but hoping for different results. The ownership group needed to be braver this offseason. Maybe 2026 will be different for Chris Ballard and the Indianapolis Colts, but Indy fans hope the same thing every offseason, and that hope goes unfulfilled.
Recently, NFL analyst Patrick Daugherty of NBC Sports was sarcastically on point in his summation of the current state of football in Indianapolis. He pointed out that the situation with quarterback Daniel Jones mirrors the team overall. Maybe next year will be better, Daugherty implies, but never truly is.
The NBC Sports analyst writes, "One day, Jones’ success might not be too good to be true. 2025 was not that day. It seems unlikely any day will be that day in Indy as long as GM Chris Ballard is assembling the roster."
Does Ballard have a keen idea of how to build a good offensive line? Yes, he does. He has assembled a decent wide receiver group, too. What he tends to miss are extremely important spots. He's never drafted a quarterback who would turn into a long-term success. His guess on Anthony Richardson was completely wrong.
Indy also lacks an extremely productive edge rusher. Laiatu Latu was good in 2025, but mostly looked better due to his underperforming teammates.
If Chris Ballard definitely knew how to build a good roster, the team would make the postseason more. The results speak for themselves, and they haven't been very good. But, hey...maybe 2026 will be better. Finally. One can hope. With Chris Ballard in charge, anything is possible, right?