The Indianapolis Colts fired general manager Chris Ballard on Monday, one day after the team squandered a 13-0 halftime lead and lost 26-20 at home to the previously winless Tennessee Titans. The defeat dropped Indianapolis to 2-4 on the season and brought a decade of Ballard's leadership to an abrupt end.
“The Colts on Monday relieved general manager Chris Ballard of his duties,” the team said in a statement posted to colts.com. Owner and CEO Carlie Irsay-Gordon made clear the decision was about more than one bad Sunday. “I believe a change in leadership is necessary to meet that standard,” she said, referring to the championship bar she wants the franchise to clear. She added that the timing was intentional: “Making this change during the season was a deliberate decision.”
A Second-Half Collapse That Sealed Ballard's Fate
Sunday's loss at Lucas Oil Stadium was the kind of meltdown that tends to end careers. The Colts outgained Tennessee 399 yards to 186 and controlled the ball for 38 minutes and 32 seconds, according to ESPN, yet still walked away with a loss defined by three turnovers, special-teams miscues and defensive lapses. Quarterback Daniel Jones threw for 269 yards and a touchdown but was picked off twice, per ESPN's game recap.
As WFYI Public Media's Samantha Horton reported, the Colts had entered the matchup as heavy favorites against a Titans team that hadn't won a game all year, and the home crowd let its frustration show. Running back Jonathan Taylor said he did not like hearing the boos raining down from the stands, according to that report. Head coach Shane Steichen, asked about his own job security afterward, declined to speculate — a moment captured by the IndyStar.
Ed Dodds Steps In as Ownership Searches for the Next GM
Assistant general manager Ed Dodds will oversee the personnel department for the rest of the season, the team confirmed, a move also detailed by ESPN. The Colts did not immediately name an interim general manager, according to USA Today. Irsay-Gordon said the franchise plans to conduct a thorough search for its next leader rather than rush the hire, per the Colts' own statement.
Steichen, now in his fourth season as head coach, remains in place for the moment. The New York Times' The Athletic reported that he and his staff will report directly to ownership going forward, though the club has not said whether that arrangement will extend beyond this season.
A Decade That Never Delivered a Championship
Ballard had held the Colts' general manager job since 2017, according to NBC Sports. His tenure closes with a 72-82-1 regular-season record and a 1-2 postseason mark, The Athletic reported. The Colts reached the playoffs only twice under Ballard, in 2018 and 2020, with their last postseason win coming in 2018 — and they won no division or conference titles along the way.
The losing has piled up in brutal fashion lately. Indianapolis has dropped 11 of its last 13 games dating back to last season and hasn't reached the playoffs since 2020, The Athletic noted. The Colts had opened 2025 at 8-2 and sat atop the AFC standings before a seven-game losing streak, driven largely by injuries, left them at 8-9 for the year. ESPN also pointed out that Indianapolis has cycled through 14 different starting quarterbacks during Ballard's time running personnel.
Longest Drought Since the Late 1980s
The Colts entered this season already carrying a five-year playoff drought tied for the third-longest active streak in the league, The Athletic reported in September. ESPN described that same drought as the franchise's longest since a seven-year stretch from 1988 through 1994, while USA Today separately characterized Ballard's tenure as including a six-year playoff drought — the two outlets did not agree on the exact length. The Athletic also noted the Colts have gone 9-17 in December and January during the drought years, a pattern of late-season fade that repeated itself again last season.
Sunday's defeat carried its own historical sting beyond the Ballard fallout. The loss snapped Indianapolis' six-game winning streak over Tennessee dating back to 2023 and ended the Titans' 11-game losing streak against AFC South opponents, according to The Tennessean.
The Colts are set to host the Minnesota Vikings next Sunday at 1 p.m. Eastern, their first game since the front-office shake-up. For now, the roster and coaching staff Ballard built remain in place, even as the search for his successor gets underway.
