Rumors about Colts future should have Shane Steichen and Chris Ballard worried

Following the Colts' humiliating Week 17 loss to the New York Giants, rumors are swirling that major changes are coming to the organization, and two people in particular may be on the hot seat.

Fans have been calling for owner Jim Irsay to clean house all season, but those calls got even louder after Week 17, with both head coach Shane Steichen and general manager Chris Ballard in particular under fire. But rumors around the league may be indicating that this may have turned into more than just anger from fans.

SI's Albert Breer first hinted at potential issues in Monday Morning Quarterback, where he said there have been "at least murmurs of front-office shuffling in Indianapolis" regarding Ballard. Then, on the Rich Eisen Show, he went into further detail.

"I would say the people I've talked to it sounds more like general manager might be a question there rather than coach," he said. "I do think they really like Shane Steichen... I think Chris Ballard, on balance, has done a pretty good job there, but he's had eight years and they've only been in the playoffs twice. So, you know, do they look at it and say, okay, Shane Steichen, you can bring in your own guide. You bring in, maybe, somebody like Ian Cunningham from Chicago, who you were with in Philadelphia and we build it around the two of you. I think there are a lot of those sorts of discussions happening right now. Now again, I would say Indianapolis and Miami are the two where I think the coaches are relatively safe, but the general managers might be [in trouble]."

It would be unusual, to say the least, for a head coach to handpick his own general manager. And if Ballard is out, and a new GM is hired, it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility that he would want to choose his own head coach.

If not, then Steichen - and by extension, Anthony Richardson - will have the 2025 season to fight for their jobs. If there is not improvement, then it's a near-certainty that Steichen will be fired and Richardson traded away.

As to whether or not Steichen himself is on the hot seat right now, that's less clear; however, he certainly isn't helping cool anything down by blithely responding to concerns about the team's culture with remarks about how not everyone is always going to be on time. It's clear there is a lack of discipline, focus, and drive within the Colts organization. Steichen is publicly telling the world that he's OK with that.

The question, then, is whether or not Jim Irsay is OK with that, too - or if he's ready to demand something better.