The Colts have been cursed in recent years when it comes to the quarterback position. They’ve been blessed to have a high degree of competence and stability at key off-field positions.
The team has given contract extensions to G.M. Chris Ballard and coach Frank Reich, effective through the 2026 season. Both are under contract for five more seasons.
“In Chris Ballard and Frank Reich, we have as great a General Manager-head coach combination as there is in the NFL, and I can’t tell you how proud I am to have them leading our franchise,” Colts owner Jim Irsay said in a release announcing the move. “I truly believe this football team is on the doorstep of great things, and that’s because of the culture both have cultivated in their time with the Horseshoe. Whether we are marching toward the playoffs or facing adversity, whether we are building our roster or making a difference in the community, we have the ideal leaders in Chris and Frank.”
Ballard arrived in 2017, with Reich the emergency hire a year later, after Josh McDaniels reneged on a verbal agreement to take the job. Reich, who wasn’t seriously considered before the McDaniels fiasco, became in hindsight the right guy for the job, all along.
In four years on the job, Ballard has become one of the most respected executives in the league. He maintains a steady hand and resisted overreacting to whatever challenges land on his desk, even though he has dealt with plenty of it -- starting with McDaniels bailing out and franchise quarterback Andrew Luck suddenly retiring not long before the start of the 2019 season.
