For the Indianapolis Colts, it's already beyond clear that general manager Chris Ballard is on the hot seat. His record as GM is abysmal, and it's safe to say that Colts fans were shocked when Jim Irsay decided to give him another chance after the disastrous 2024 season. The writing on the wall is clear: if the Colts aren't successful this year, Ballard is going to be gone.
But he isn't the only person whose seat is getting warm. Mike Florio gave a list of the top five coaches he thinks are on the hot seat in 2025, and Shane Steichen came in at #3.
"Through two seasons, Steichen is 17-17 with no playoff appearances. His non-interim predecessor, Frank Reich, went 40-33-1 with a pair of playoff berths and was abruptly fired.Mike Florio
The swing and miss (so far) on quarterback Anthony Richardson is on Steichen's record. The failure to develop Richardson is on Steichen's resume.
As the 2024 season ended, there was a haze of confusion as to whether big changes would be made in Indianapolis. Now that an ownership change has happened following the passing of Jim Irsay, it remains to be seen how Carlie Irsay-Gordon will run the team.
And, most importantly, whether she'll want to hire a coach of her own after her first season in charge.
How the team performs in 2025 becomes a massive factor in resolving what currently is a major unknown. Which puts pressure on Steichen to win enough games to make the answer an obvious "yes.""
Steichen has been criticized for the culture of the Colts locker room - and for being completely unaware of there being any problem. There were members of his roster openly criticizing the team to the public, and Steichen likewise garnered himself a reputation for throwing his players under the bus.
To put it plainly, if the Colts don't make it to the playoffs this season, Steichen would have good reason to be very, very worried. Rumors have already begun to circulate that he might not even last the whole season if it doesn't go well.
NFL RUMORS: #Colts WR Coach Reegie Wayne is viewed as a possible interim HC if Shane Steichen struggles to start the season. #ForTheShoe pic.twitter.com/7bkfCcBunC
— NFL Rumors (@nflrums) June 9, 2025
The Colts have a new CEO - Jim Irsay's daughter, Carlie Irsay-Gordon - and she has made it clear that she expects the team to be successful now. She denied the idea of giving the Colts a "gap year" to adjust to new ownership, saying it would be "unacceptable," and then took shots specifically at both Ballard and Steichen.
"As my dad said before he passed, Chris and Shane know that they have things they need to fix," she said. "We talked about not micromanaging people, but also, we have a standard here, and it hasn’t been good enough."
It's definitely safe to say that Steichen has got to be feeling the pressure as training camp looms.