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The season in Indianapolis flipped from optimism to uncertainty the moment Daniel Jones went down, and Adam Schefter’s read is that the Colts are still banking on bringing him back in 2026, believing he’ll be ready for the start of the season, which would make a Malik Willis-type pursuit less necessary.
From there, the bigger question shifts to the front office. ESPN’s Dan Graziano said the Colts have carried high expectations for the past two years and haven’t come close to matching them, with owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon eager to win fast and potentially unwilling to stay patient after a late-season collapse.
Graziano added that, after being in Indianapolis on Sunday, he got the sense that nobody around the team truly knows where things are headed now.
Graziano also noted Ballard’s relationship with Irsay-Gordon is considered strong, and while the Anthony Richardson Sr. pick looks like it may have missed, the Daniel Jones signing was working until the injury. His personal lean is that Ballard sticks, even if his name is coming up constantly in league circles right now.
On the field, the Colts are also pivoting quickly. He also said the team will see what Riley Leonard can give them in Week 18, a choice that turns the finale into both an evaluation and a signal about how the organization is thinking as it absorbs the disappointment.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler framed Ballard as a moving target, respected for drafting well and building solid rosters, but with “no division titles in nine years” sitting there like an unavoidable line item.
Fowler added he’s spoken to people who wonder if Ballard could be the first to go ahead of Shane Steichen if changes happen at all, though injuries and the team’s strong first 10 games still factor heavily, and most people he’s talked to are leaning toward Ballard being safe.
That context lands harder after the way the playoff chase ended. Indianapolis started 8-2, then dropped five straight, and once Jones suffered a season-ending Achilles injury, the margin vanished.
The Colts needed the Chargers to beat the Texans, but Houston’s 20-16 win eliminated Indianapolis on its day off, leaving the final stretch against the Jaguars and Texans as a chance to stabilize and take stock.
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