INDIANAPOLIS — Jim Irsay is standing pat.
Despite a fourth consecutive season of his Indianapolis Colts failing to make the playoffs, the owner announced Sunday night he’s sticking with general manager Chris Ballard and coach Shane Steichen.
“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 wrote in a lengthy post on X.
“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 to be a Colts fan.’’
Irsay posted his comments after the Colts closed their season with a 26-23 overtime win over Jacksonville. They finished 8-9 and missed the playoffs for a fourth consecutive season. That’s the team’s longest playoff drought since 1988-94.
The Colts’ closed the season with a half-full Lucas Oil Stadium. More than 63,000 tickets were distributed, but it was clear thousands stayed home.
Some of that could be attributed the winter storm that swept through central Indiana. But there’s no overstating the level of unrest sweeping through the Colts’ fan base.
Irsay was quick to concede everyone’s dissatisfaction with this season, and the past several.
“As we close out this season,’’ he posted, “I can’t tell you how disappointed I am that we failed to win the AFC South and earn a playoff appearance.
“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, not what you deserve. We understand that and always accept the challenge.’’
The Colts have been in position either to earn a playoff spot or contend for one in the last few weeks in three of the past four seasons. They were officially eliminated this season with the embarrassing 45-33 loss at the New York Giants in week 17.
In 2023, a failed fourth-and-1 in the closing seconds against Houston in the season finale resulted in a 23-19 loss. The Colts would have won the AFC South if they had finished their comeback against the Texans. Instead, they finished 9-8.
The Colts were 9-6 and had approximately a 98% chance of reaching the playoffs with two games remaining in 2021, only to lose at home to Las Vegas Raiders (23-20) and then 26-11 at the 2-14 Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Colts are 62-69-1 since Irsay named Ballard general manager in 2017. Their only playoff berths have been in 2018 with Andrew Luck and 2021 with Philip Rivers.
They last won the AFC South with Luck in 2014. The other three division rivals have won it at least twice each.
“Believe me, I know you share my impatience and frustration,’’ Irsay said. “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.
“But things evolve quickly in the NFL from week to week and season to season, so I never stop being optimistic that this team can take that next step!’’
Ballard is expected to meet with the media later this week, and realizes he’ll have to answer for eight seasons that have included too many missed opportunities.
Steichen will be available Monday after meeting with his players for the final time until April. He admitted having “on-going conversations’’ with Irsay.
“Obviously, I love being the head football coach here,’’ Steichen said after the Jaguars game. “I love everything about it. I love this team.’’
The season, he added, “didn’t go the way we wanted it to go. It was one of those years, a down year for us.
“But again, I’m going to work relentlessly along with everyone to get this thing going in the right direction so we can put a championship culture and winning product on the field next year.’’
The first order of business is determining whether defensive coordinator Gus Bradley returns. There hasn’t been enough progress in his three seasons, although Ballard and the personnel staff have done him no favors by not giving him sufficient talent, especially in the secondary.
Then, Priority 1 has to be Anthony Richardson.
Irsay, Ballard and Steichen determined the young but ultra-talented quarterback out of Florida merited being the No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 draft, and the potential face of the franchise. Quarterback continuity has been lacking and oft-times debilitating since Luck’s sudden retirement weeks before the 2019 season.
But Richardson’s two seasons has been plagued by injuries and inconsistent play.
He’s missed 17 of a possible 34 games because of injuries. Richardson missed one with a concussion and the final 12 of his rookie season with a sprained AC joint in his right shoulder that required surgery. In year 2, he’s missed two games with an oblique injury and the final two with back spasms and a disc issue.
Perhaps more concerning, Richardson was benched for two games this season for not approaching his weekly preparation — with being a projected franchise quarterback — with the necessary urgency.
On the field, he’s 6-5 as a starter and set a single-season club record for rushing by a quarterback this season with 499 yards. But after completing 59.5% of his passes as a rookie, Richardson regressed to 47.7% in year 2. That’s the worst completion percentage in team history by a QB with at least 200 attempts.
Until Ballard and Steichen can maximize Richardson’s potential, it will be difficult for the franchise to move forward.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.