The Indianapolis Colts finished their 2024 NFL season on Sunday, and team owner Jim Irsay is already looking ahead to 2025, indicating in a statement that head coach Shane Steichen and general manager Chris Ballard will return despite increased speculation of potentially sweeping changes in the organization.
"As we close out this season, I can't tell you how disappointed I am that we failed to win the AFC South and earn a playoff appearance," Irsay wrote in the statement. "There's a high standard in this city for our team and anyone who steps on the field wearing the Horseshoe. 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 [fans] deserve. ... But things evolve quickly in the NFL from week to week and season to season, so I will never stop being optimistic that this team can take the next step!
"I've been evaluating our entire operation," Irsay continued, "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. I know fans who want an immediate change in leadership will be disappointed. That means we all have a lot to prove, so we'll get back to work and keep doing what we can to earn your support and make you proud."
Steichen just finished his second season at the helm of the Colts' staff, leading the team to an 8-9 finish one year after going 9-8 and narrowly missing the playoffs.
Ballard, meanwhile, has been the club's general manager since 2017, overseeing just two playoff appearances in eight years on the job. His top draft pick as a personnel chief, 2023 first-rounder Anthony Richardson, has appeared in just 15 games at quarterback over his first two NFL seasons.
