Colts GM Chris Ballard Defends Team-Building Approach: 'It Gets Me Fired, So Be it'

Although there have certainly been some high points in Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard's seven-year tenure, the team has ultimately posted a losing 54-60-1 record with just one playoff win.

Hopes are high heading into 2024 after a 9-8 season and the healthy return of quarterback Anthony Richardson, the 2023 draft's fourth overall pick who showed promise last year before suffering a season-ending Grade 3 AC joint sprain in his right shoulder in his fourth game.

But there are still questions about Ballard's future, and the GM was asked if he felt he was on the hot seat in 2024.

"No different than any other year," he replied, per ESPN's Stephen Holder.

Ballard, who arrived in Indianapolis after 17 years working for the Chicago Bears and Kansas City Chiefs, later added:

"The last three years not making the playoffs, it's a disappointment. I'm not going to sit here and say it wasn't. But I still have a very strong belief in what we're doing, how we're doing it and how we're going to get there. ... Either you believe in something or you believe nothing. It's easy to vacillate and go with what the world wants you to do. You either believe in something or you don't. This is what we believe.

"It gets me fired, so be it."

In defense of Ballard, the Colts were on a great track after his second season (2018) when head coach Frank Reich and quarterback Andrew Luck led the team to a 10-6 record and an AFC Wild Card Round win.

But Luck, who dealt with injuries during the 2019 offseason, suddenly retired that following August (for legitimate reasons, as ESPN's Seth Wickersham detailed in a Dec. 2022 exclusive).

Indianapolis has played quarterback roulette since, with Jacoby Brissett, Philip Rivers, Carson Wentz, Matt Ryan and Richardson starting the year as QB1 over the next five seasons. Gardner Minshew II, now the Las Vegas Raiders' starting quarterback, started the bulk of 2023 in Richardson's place.

The Colts hope Richardson is the answer to their long-term quarterback woes. As Holder noted, he's simply a very important piece for the team's present and future:

"Much of Indianapolis' success this season will depend on the development of second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson, who the Colts are hoping takes off after his return from an injury that limited him to four games as a rookie.

"Similarly, Ballard's tenure could ultimately be linked to Richardson's success or failure in the long term."

The good news is that the Colts have a good roster, much of which is back after a 9-8 season. And they seem to have a great head coach in place in Shane Steichen, the former Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator who piloted Indianapolis to a winning record (and a five-win improvement from 2022) despite the loss of Richardson.

We'll see how things go in Indianapolis soon enough when the team welcomes the Houston Texans to town on Sept. 8 for the season opener.