The Colts were considered a team to watch as ‘Black Monday’ approached considering the manner in which their season ended. Despite finishing the campaign at 8-9 and out of the playoffs once again, owner Jim Irsay immediately made it clear both head coach Shane Steichen and general manager Chris Ballard would be retained for 2025. 
The latter is well aware Indianapolis fell short of expectations, and when speaking to the media on Friday he acknowledged his roster-building approach played a central role. Ballard’s tenure at the helm of the Colts has been defined in no small part by his preference of keeping in-house players in the fold rather than devoting cap resources to outside additions. This past offseason was no different, with 13 players either being re-signed to a new deal or receiving an extension.
“Right now, we’re not close,” Ballard conceded (via ESPN’s Stephen Holder). “I’m going to make this really clear… Going 8-9, that’s not close. No, I’m not saying we won’t be closer when we get to the start of [next] season. But right now, sitting here today, we’re an 8-9 football team. We’ve got to own that.”
Ballard noted part of the process of ending the Colts’ four-year playoff drought could very well be a change in roster-building philosophy. The likes of DeForest Buckner, Michael Pittman Jr. and Zaire Franklin each received big-ticket extensions last spring, while Grover Stewart, Kenny Moore and Tyquan Lewis avoided free agency with 10-figure contracts of their own. If Ballard follows through on his plan to shift his strategy, that core could see competition brought in at several positions from outside the organization.
Like all teams, the Colts will make a number of cap-related moves in the coming weeks through cuts and restructures. As of now, though, Indianapolis is on track to have roughly $32MM in available funds once the new league year begins. That, coupled with seven draft picks (including three of the first 80 selections) will prove critical as Ballard looks to supplement the existing nucleus he has constructed.
Of course, another major goal for 2025 will be improved play under center. Year 2 did not go as planned for Anthony Richardson, and the former No. 4 pick was again unable to stay healthy for a full season. Steichen recently said he would be open to bringing in a quarterback (presumably a veteran) capable of competing with Richardson for the QB1 gig. To no surprise, Ballard echoed that sentiment on Friday.
“We can’t beat our head against the wall,” Ballard said. “We’ve got to have competition at the position for, one, competition makes everybody better and, two, [Richardson has] not proven he can play 17 games.”
Joe Flacco – who does not plan to retire – is a pending free agent, so if the Colts elect to go in another direction at the quarterback spot their intentions of looking outside the organization to a larger extent will be put to the test. With Ballard’s seat no doubt warming, it will be interesting to see how he proceeds as the offseason unfolds.
Step 1: Sign Cooper Rush. He’s proven to be a highly reliable backup QB when Dak has missed time over the years
Step 2: Work out a trade involving Jaylen Waddle and Michael Pittman Jr.
Alec Pierce 6’3″, Adonai Mitchell 6’4″, Pittman Jr 6’4″, very redundant skillset in the WR room. Dolphins have their own redundant receiving room with Waddle, Hill, Achne, Washington. Swapping Waddle for Pittman Jr would help both teams add something they’re missing – Colts missing speed option and Dolphins missing 50/50 big bodied WR
Chris Ballard is finally figuring out what the majority of us already know…Anthony Richardson is not a franchise quarterback and he certainly isn’t a leader…his teammates are hard pressed to follow this guy after he tapped out because he was tired in a game. Phillip Rivers played a playoff game against New England with a torn ACL and their was no way he was coming out of the game…his teammates would have run through a wall for him…Richardsons teammates wish he would just walk out the door and not come back. Physical attributes are one thing but if your Quarterback has NO HEART the other members of the team won’t follow and sacrifice anything for him.
Richardson lacks maturity but it’s hard to blame him for a defense that ranked 29th. The media and fans are so focused on hating Richardson that they ignore that the Colts defense is trash. When a Drew Lock led Giants team can drop 45 points on you, there needs to be wholesale changes on that defense.
They have one of the best backs in the league.
1- they don’t use him properly
2- they could do a better job strengthening the O line.