Colts GM Chris Ballard Reveals Surprising Stance on Contract Extension amid Playoff Drought

Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard, who is entering the final year of his contract, revealed that he will not be signing an extension before his deal expires.

WISH-TV relayed Ballard's remarks when asked if he expected an extension before the season.

The 57-year-old Ballard has been the Colts' general manager since 2017, and he signed a five-year extension in 2021.

The Colts have a 70-78-1 record and no AFC South titles during Ballard's tenure. Indianapolis has just two playoff appearances and one postseason win in that time. The Colts haven't made the playoffs since 2020.

Last year's team showed tremendous potential in the first half of the season, going 7-1 and leading the AFC after eight weeks. However, the Colts then lost eight of nine games (including their final seven) to finish 8-9 and outside the playoffs.

Indianapolis has dealt with inconsistency at the quarterback position since 2018. The Colts have had a different player lead the team in passing yards each year over the past eight seasons: Jacoby Brissett, Andrew Luck, Philip Rivers, Carson Wentz, Matt Ryan, Gardner Minshew, Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones.

A lack of a consistent QB1 probably hasn't helped matters as the Colts struggled to break out of the mediocre state its largely been in for the better part of a decade.

The Colts are going back to Jones, who was largely excellent in the Colts' first eight games. He did encounter some struggles over his next five weeks and then unfortunately suffered a torn Achilles on Dec. 7 that ended his season.

Thankfully, Jones is fully healthy and cleared for training camp. His health and progress in 2026 season could go a long way toward the Colts' own success and perhaps have a great impact on Ballard's own future in town.