The Indianapolis Colts fired general manager Chris Ballard on Monday morning. On Sunday, they lost 26-20 at home to the Tennessee Titans, who hadn't won a game all season. The Colts led 13-0 at halftime. Fans chanted "Fire Ballard" during the loss. The Colts are now 2-4. Ballard was in his 10th season and the last year of his contract. His teams went 72-82-1. They made the playoffs twice and won one playoff game. They never won their division. Last season the Colts started 8-2, then lost their last seven games and missed the playoffs. Owner and CEO Carlie Irsay-Gordon kept Ballard and head coach Shane Steichen in January but warned them that the urgency "has never been higher." Assistant GM Ed Dodds will run personnel moves for now.

Ballard Built This Roster, and He Had to Go

The owner and Ballard's loudest critics say his roster bets sank the team.

There was no reason to wait. "Our standard is to compete for championships, and I believe a change in leadership is necessary to meet that standard," Irsay-Gordon said in a statement. She said firing him in the middle of the season "was a deliberate decision." "Waiting would only delay the important work that needs to begin now," she said.

This season still counts. "This decision does not change our goals for the season," Irsay-Gordon said. "I expect us to compete, improve, and win football games." IndyStar's Joel A. Erickson reported that she hasn't signaled she's ready for a full rebuild.

His biggest bets failed. In November 2025 Ballard traded two first-round picks to the New York Jets for cornerback Sauce Gardner. The Colts still owe the Jets their 2027 first-round pick. In March he gave quarterback Daniel Jones a two-year, $88 million deal after Jones's Achilles injury. Jones now ranks 30th in the league in QBR. CBS Sports writer Carter Bahns called the Gardner trade "the most glaring single failure" of Ballard's tenure. He wrote that the Jones and Anthony Richardson investments "aged poorly."

This should have happened years ago. OutKick host Dan Dakich called Ballard "the worst general manager in the history of the NFL." "Look, this is seven years too late," Dakich said. He said Ballard "hasn't had a draft pick worth a damn since Jonathan Taylor" and "has spent your money frivolously."

But Ballard Isn't the Only One to Blame

The head coach himself says he shares the blame, and analysts say he could be next.

Everyone in the building shares the blame. "I don't think it falls completely on Chris," Steichen told reporters Monday. "I'm the head football coach. It takes all of us. Coaches, scouts, everybody." He said he's "grateful for every day that I'm in this building" and is focused on the Vikings game.

Firing the GM was the easy move. ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio agreed with Steichen. "Irsay-Gordon could be firing everybody, in time," Florio wrote. "For now, Ballard was the easiest person to replace." Florio wrote that Steichen may still have his job only because nobody on his staff could serve as interim coach.

Now it's on the coach. Bahns wrote that "it is now on Shane Steichen to prevent a chain reaction." "Barring an in-season turnaround, Steichen could soon find the same fate," he wrote. He wrote that "successful coaches make the most of what they have at their disposal, and Steichen is missing the opportunity to do so." After Sunday's loss, Steichen said Jones remains his starting quarterback.

And the Colts Should Trade Veterans Now

A national columnist says it's time to trade away veterans for future value.

This season is already lost. "As for clinging to the goal of competing this season? Nah," USA Today NFL columnist Nate Davis wrote. He said the Colts should trade running back Jonathan Taylor before the Nov. 10 trade deadline. He wrote that the Colts "may as well try a fire sale." He named guard Quenton Nelson and defensive tackle DeForest Buckner as players to sell. Both are over 30 and headed into free agency in 2027. Davis wrote that Steichen "may well deserve the chance to stick around into 2027 and beyond."

Selling would mean a big change of direction. ESPN's Stephen Holder wrote that the Colts "have to at least consider" trading Nelson and Buckner. He wrote that it would be "a reversal of philosophy." He noted the Colts were recently calling Arizona about receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.

Where This Lands

Irsay-Gordon says Ballard had to go now and that the Colts still plan to win this season. Dakich says the move came seven years late. Steichen says the blame doesn't fall only on Ballard. Florio and Bahns say the coach could be next. Davis says the Colts should trade Taylor before the Nov. 10 deadline and that Steichen may deserve to stay. Ed Dodds runs personnel moves for now. The Colts play at the undefeated Vikings next.

Sources