The Colts are moving on from their veteran defensive coordinator. Jim Irsay announced Monday that the team is not bringing back Gus Bradley.
The former Jaguars HC and four-time NFL DC had been in Indianapolis for the past three seasons. Despite having worked with Shane Steichen with the Chargers as well, he will not come back for Steichen’s third Colts campaign. This comes two weeks after the Colts allowed 45 points to a 2-13 Giants team starting Drew Lock; that loss eliminated Indianapolis from the playoff race.
[RELATED: Colts To Retain Steichen, GM Chris Ballard]
Bradley had been rumored to be on the hot seat, with SI.com’s Albert Breer suggesting he would be the fall guy after a tough year on defense. Indy stuck with Bradley despite poor defensive numbers last season, and the former Pete Carroll assistant is back on the market. Bradley, 58, has been either a defensive coordinator or head coach since 2009. Seahawks, Chargers, Raiders and Colts DC assignments have sandwiched a woeful Jaguars HC tenure.
Hired to be part of Frank Reich‘s staff in 2022, Bradley could not turn the Colts into an upper-crust defense. Matt Eberflus had Indy as a top-10 scoring unit three times from 2018-21; Bradley has been unable to lead this unit inside the top 20. After back-to-back 28th-place finishes, Bradley’s troops checked in 24th this season. This may be a crossroads point for the veteran assistant, though he has enjoyed success prior to his Indiana stay.
Bradley and Steichen overlapped with the Bolts from 2017-20, with the former heading to Los Angeles after his Jacksonville ouster. Bradley exited Florida with the fourth-worst win percentage (.226) in NFL history. Hue Jackson and Steve Spagnuolo check in below Bradley on that all-time list; the latter’s number with the Rams has hurt him on the HC market, despite a wildly successful Chiefs DC tenure. Bradley has been unable to match Spagnuolo’s Kansas City coordinator work, but he has been regularly sought after since the Jaguars firing.
Anthony Lynn hired Bradley in 2017, while Jon Gruden picked him up after Lynn’s 2020 ouster. As the Raiders cleaned house in 2022, Bradley found his way to Indianapolis. Bradley’s best work remains his 2012 Seahawks defense, which booked him the Jags job and set him up for other DC opportunities down the road. Seattle led the league in scoring defense in 2012, with that defensive system later aiding Dan Quinn and Kris Richard. Bradley’s zone-based system peaked a bit ago, however, and the Colts are set to go in a different direction.
The Colts played almost all of this season without JuJu Brents, a former second-round pick who was supposed to be the team’s top outside corner, and all of it without EDGE starter Samson Ebukam. The latter was part of the Colts setting an Indianapolis-era franchise record with 51 sacks last season. Ballard has also taken criticism for a largely inward-only approach on his roster. That blueprint has largely failed to pay off, but while Ballard will see more time, Bradley is out.
Colts retain Chris Ballard, but Jim Irsay announces that Bradley won’t be back.
“I don’t see anything wrong with that”
— Jerry Jones
The Colts have become an NFL stereotype. An aging, increasingly insecure owner who senses his own mortality. Because of his franchise’s past success he believes he is uniquely qualified to tell his football people how to run the team. At least 10 teams fall into this category and some of them never even had past success.
I might be alone in this opinion, but I think Chris Ballard is a quality executive who has been sabotaged constantly by his boss. It doesn’t really matter who the Colts hire at this point, Irsay is going to screw it up with his heavy handed involvement.
Don – Jim Irsay is about 67; not exactly an aging, senile old man. He served as the teams GM from their arrival in Indy in 1984 until Bob Irsay passed in the mid-90’s. He became owner after winning a court battle with his step-mom. He probably knows more about pro football than most owners & definitely all fans.
Hmm. I guess they’re just really unlucky then. Kinda like the Colts teams from 1984 until the mid nineties.
Sabotaged seems strong. I think Irsay meddles as much as most owners, except his is done with a much higher degree of publicity.
Ballard is an “ok” executive. He is a likable man but his drafts are more miss than hit. His inability to find a solution at QB and total absence in free agency has crippled this team. Irsay plays a part in this but I believe the degree in which he does is widely overblown. Perhaps Irsay would keep his mouth closed more if Ballard was better at his job.
Also describes
Woody Johnson
Khan
Tepper
Jerry Jones
Dean Spanos for many years prior to Harbaugh
After how they played against the lowly Giants, this especially had to be done. Everyone loves Bradley as a human being, but he’s not a very good defensive coordinator for this era of the NFL.
After reading that the Colts gave up 45 points to the Giants, didn’t see much point in finishing the article. That says it all.
Looks like a potential Jets top HC candidate. That is if Rex hasn’t already hired himself (why he wants it I don’t understand).
Colts grab Lou Anaramo and Bradley to the Bengals.
No thanks