3 big offseason questions for Colts after missing playoffs again

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The Indianapolis Colts' 2025 season is officially over.

It ended with a 38 to 30 loss in Week 18 to the Houston Texans. This was the Colts' seventh consecutive loss. Indianapolis finsihed with a record of 8-9.

Once again, the Colts have missed the playoffs and have done so for the fifth consecutive season.

Awaiting Indianapolis is an offseason filled with questions and unknowns. Here are three of the big ones that the organization must answer.

Will GM Chris Ballard return for a 10th season?

Injuries certainly factored into the Colts' play down the stretch and how their season ended. However, the outcome of the 2025 season is one that the Colts have experienced often under Ballard.

During Ballard's now nine seasons as GM, the Colts have made the playoffs only twice and have just one playoff win. As mentioned, Indianapolis hasn't had a postseason appearance since 2020.

In addition to that, the Colts haven't won a division title during Ballard's tenure either. The other three AFC South teams have each won the division twice during that span.

Most GMs wouldn't have made as far as Ballard has, given his resume.

However, when it comes to what the Colts are going to do, many NFL insiders don't seem to have a good feel for which direction Carlie Irsay-Gordon will go. If anything, the sense from these insiders seems to be that Ballard will return.

What does the future hold for head coach Shane Steichen?

If Ballard is brought back, then Steichen will return as well. However, Steichen's future with the team will certainly be in question if the Colts make a change at GM. A new general manager could want to bring in his own head coach.

After three seasons, Steichen has yet to lead the Colts to the playoffs, but with stable quarterback play through the first half of the season, we saw just how dynamic this Steichen offense can be.

In addition to that, while the Colts didn't win any games with Phillip Rivers, Steichen's ability to mold the offense to Rivers' game on the fly and make changes from week to week was impressive.

SI's Albert Breer recently wrote that if Steichen were let go, he believes that Steichen would land another head coaching job "quickly," which says a lot about how he is viewed around the NFL.

So if Ballard is let go, it's not a given that Steichen will be as well.

What's next at quarterback and other free agent decisions

ESPN's Adam Schefter revealed earlier this week what he believes the Colts' quarterback plan is.

"I think they are banking on Daniel Jones being back," said Schefter on the Pat McAfee Show. "I do think that they'll re-sign him. I do think he'll be ready for the start of the season."

Prior to Jones' injury, the Colts' offense was one of the most productive in football, and he provided Indianapolis with needed stability at that position. However, how a player bounces back from an Achilles injury is always unknown.

Anthony Richardson will be entering the final year of his rookie deal in 2026. What his future holds in Indianapolis is unknown as well. The Colts have to decide whether or not to pick up his fifth-year option for the 2027 season.

Along with Jones being a free agent this offseason, here are the other Colts' players who are also free agents. If Ballard doesn't return, the Colts could end up moving on from many of these players, with the new GM wanting to bring in his own players.