Two months ago, it was not unreasonable to consider Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard as an executive of the year candidate. Next week, he could be out of a job. That’s what happens when your team suffers a six-game losing streak with the postseason on the line.
Were he to be fired, it would be the result of his nine-year run and not merely a reaction to this year’s collapse. Ballard made a lot of good moves in 2025. He has made a fair number of good moves throughout his near-decade at the head of the Colts. But he has had a lot of missteps and head-scratchers.
A cumulative losing record and, most damaging, a single playoff victory in those nine years would be the primary reasons to end the Chris Ballard era in Indianapolis. The AFC South has been one of the most open divisions in the NFL during his tenure.
Indianapolis Colts' Chris Ballard’s best and worst moves of 2025
There is no New England Patriots or Kansas City Chiefs dynasty blocking the path of otherwise quality franchises. The three other members have all won multiple division titles during Ballard’s time. The Colts have won zero.
That’s a tough record to defend, regardless of some good individual moves.
In hindsight, 2025 provides an almost perfect microcosm of where Ballard thrives and falters. For every wise decision, there was a mistake. On balance, I think the good moves outweigh the bad for the year, and that is why the Colts aren’t in such bad shape despite their epic collapse.
Getting the next moves right will be imperative. We’ll have more on that soon. For today, let’s take a look back at the most extreme up-and-down season in Colts’ history.
Good - Signing Daniel Jones
If you pay attention to New York media and listen to Giants’ fans, Daniel Jones was a stone-cold loser. Signing him was pure folly. A more realistic view was that Jones had a lot of talent along with several crucial flaws.
Above all, he was done in by a Giants' organization that has been among the worst in the league during his years there. Ballard saw through that, signed him to a low-risk deal, and found his best young QB option since Andrew Luck.
Bad - Failed to acquire a backup
Anthony Richardson suffered an eye injury in early October. Ballard’s response was to sign Brett Rypien. That would be fine if rookie Riley Leonard were considered a reasonable backup. As events proved, that was not the case. Phillip Rivers’ return may have been great media, but the fact that Ballard found himself in that position in the first place was GM malfeasance.
Good - Signing Camryn Bynum
Julian Blackmon was a pretty good free safety during his time in Indy. Bynum has been upgraded. Is he worth the four-year, sixty million dollars Ballard gave him? That is on the high side, but he has delivered, leading the team in interceptions and pass defenses. His veteran presence has helped hold a ragtag, injury-decimated secondary together.
Bad - The Xavien Howard interlude
Speaking of injuries and ragtaggedness, signing Xavien Howard was an act of desperation that flopped. Fortunately, the Colts’ offense was good enough during his brief return that it didn’t matter. In his final game, a 27-20 loss to Los Angeles, Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford targeted Howard as many times as Indy’s four other corners combined.
Good - Almost every kicker move
Ballard had the wisdom to move on from Matt Gay, a high-priced placekicker who was showing signs of regression. He initially replaced him with the very promising young kicker Spencer Shrader, and eventually with the equally promising Blake Grupe. All three moves were successes.
Bad - The Michael Badgley experience
Unfortunately, between Shrader and Grupe, Ballard turned to the well-travelled Mike Badgley, who, despite going ten of eleven on field goals, missed three extra points during his seven weeks in town. To be fair, he kicked well early on, but his ultimate lack of reliability hurt the team in a crucial matchup with Houston as the Colts’ slide began gaining momentum.
Good - Signing Germaine Pratt
Pratt turned out to be a godsend. His long-time experience in Lou Anarumo’s defensive system was apparent from day one as he helped solidify a problem spot on the Colts’ defense.
Bad - The early neglect of the linebacker position
The reason Pratt had to ride to the rescue was that Ballard had utterly ignored the linebacker position heading into the season. Fortunately, Zaire Leonard was healthy all season because had he been hurt, there was no one to take his place.
Here are the linebackers Ballard assembled to play alongside Leonard. Cameron McGrone, Joe Bachie, Chad Muma. None remain with the team. That says about all you need to know.
Good - Drafting Tyler Warren
Warren fell off late in the season, coinciding largely with Daniel Jones' regression and ultimate injury. Still, the Colts got a star in the making. This was not a bold or outrageous move, proving that often, simply making the obvious choice is the right thing to do.
Bad - Drafting JT Tuimoloau
Hindsight is 20/20. The Colts needed pass rush help. Tuimoloau was probably the best pass rusher available when Ballard's round two pick came up. Perhaps he will still develop, but his rookie season was not promising. There were a lot of defensive players chosen in round two who had much more encouraging rookie campaigns than Tuimoloau.
Good - Drafting Jalen Travis
This was part of a trade that also yielded Tim Smith in round six. Even if Smith does not develop, it looks as if Ballard found the Colts’ future right tackle in Jalen Travis. Sliding back ten spots, picking up an extra late pick, and still getting a good player is classic smart draft strategy.
Bad - Drafting DJ Giddens
I don’t want to write off the fifth-round running back too soon. Like Tuimolauo, he still may develop. But when the Colts needed someone – anyone – to spell Jonathan Taylor this year, they ended up turning to 11-year journeyman Ameer Abdullah or special teamer Tyler Goodson ahead of the rookie late in the season.
Considering the running back talent that other teams found in late rounds, Giddens is looking like and swing and a miss.
Good - Extending Bernhard Raimann
Ballard has built a very good offensive line, for which he deserves a lot of credit. Extending a plus left tackle is a sound move.
Bad - Failing to extend Alec Pierce
It became clear last year that Indy’s future WR1 was going to be Alec Pierce and not Michael Pittman. That has become more obvious this season. Juggling the numbers would have been tricky, but creative GMs always find ways to manage. It appears as if Ballard simply was not sold on Pierce – at least not enough to make a bold move. That could end up costing the Colts’ offense going forward.
You may notice I am leaving the big Sauce Gardner trade off this list. Obviously, the way it worked out was disastrous, but I think there is still a chance it will be seen as a good move one day. The fact is, none of us can really tell at this point.
All in all, not a bad record for one season. But it didn’t result in the playoffs. For the fifth straight season. That’s a tough record for any GM to live down.