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Despite another disappointing season, Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay has decided to retain coach Shane Steichen and general manager Chris Ballard for the 2025 season.
“I’ve been evaluating our entire operation, and I believe in Chris Ballard and Shane Steichen and our collective ability to make the improvements needed to take us to the next level in 2025,” Irsay said in a statement released by the team a few hours after the Colts’ overtime victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars capped an 8-9 regular season.
Indianapolis has now missed the playoffs four straight seasons and has gone 10 years without winning a division title. Ballard is 62-69-1 in eight seasons as GM, while Steichen is 17-17 in two seasons as coach.
— Jim Irsay (@JimIrsay) January 6, 2025
Irsay began this season by boasting this was “the best team we’ve fielded in a while,” and saying he believed the Colts weren’t merely good enough to make the playoffs but win a postseason game for the first time since after the 2018 season. But 2024 brought with it more of the same: the Colts melted down late in the year, losing two pivotal games to the Denver Broncos and New York Giants with their playoff hopes on the line.
Second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson, who was benched midseason only to return to the lineup two weeks later, has yet to prove he can be a long-term answer at the position. Some players questioned Steichen’s decision making, and the direction of the franchise.
In his statement — addressed to Colts fans — Irsay said he understood the sentiment many are feeling. A team that used to compete for championships on an annual basis is now mired in mediocrity, spinning its wheels without much to show for it since Andrew Luck retired abruptly ahead of the 2019 season.
“Believe me, I know you share my impatience and frustration,” Irsay said in his statement. “I know you invest your time, energy and money into the Colts every year. More than anything, we want to reward you with division titles and playoff runs, and we’ve fallen short in the most painful ways possible.
“There’s a high standard in this city for our team and anyone who steps on the field wearing the Horseshoe,” Irsay said. “The expectation is to win our division and compete for championships. Just being on the doorstep of the playoffs is not the standard I expect, nor what you deserve. We understand that and always accept the challenge.”
Required reading
(Photo of Shane Steichen: David Berding / Getty Images)
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