* With the November 10th trade deadline approaching, firing Ballard now lets the Colts sell veteran players for draft picks instead of losing them in free agency.
* Moving expensive, aging players before the deadline helps a new GM start fresh with more draft capital in early rounds.
* The early-season firing demonstrates accountability and sends a message to the league, fanbase, and organization that mediocrity won't be tolerated anymore.
Source: Michael Hickey / Getty
**Colts Firing Chris Ballard Now Was Beyond Needed**
**INDIANAPOLIS –** In most cases, NFL firings mid-season have little to no help in reshaping things in an immediate fashion.
**[But what the Colts did on Monday](https://1075thefan.com/734562/colts-fire-general-manager-chris-ballard/)** can be an outlier in those.
With the NFL trade deadline waiting on November 10th, the Colts firing of Chris Ballard after Week 6 was needed.
It comes at a critical juncture as the Colts try to create a more attractive situation for their pending rebuild.
Let’s examine a tangible reason, and more of an intangible reason, why Monday’s decision by Carlie Irsay-Gordon was needed now:
**Owe It To Franchise’s Future**
This is the biggest tangible reason for Monday’s news.
Firing Ballard mid-season was more important than firing Steichen because this team has time ticking on the NFL trade deadline.
November 10th is that deadline, and the Colts need to fully embrace the mode of being a “seller” in the next few weeks.
That’s not ideal for a fan, but it’s the harsh reality of a team that doesn’t even have their first-round pick (currently the 10th overall pick heading to the Jets).
Over the next few weeks, Irsay-Gordon needs to mandate her interim personnel staff explores any and all offers that serve benefit to the long-term outlook of the franchise.
Whoever the Colts permanently hire at GM will have an inevitable fire sale of older/expensive players. That happens in every new GM situation.
And it’s why the Colts need to get ahead of that and look into the possibility of moving some of those players, in order to get actual draft pick return, compared to just letting these players walk in free agency.
How about guys in contract years—Quenton Nelson, DeForest Buckner, Grover Stewart, Josh Downs (age 21)? What about Charvarius Ward (2027 free agent), or even Jonathan Taylor (2028 free agent)?
Are these good/great players? Yes. Might they help the Colts in 2026 or 2027? Sure. But a new GM has no ties to those players, and that individual will look long and hard at parting ways with anyone too expensive and/or too old, and not fitting into the new vision.
Currently, the Colts first draft pick for the 2027 is at No. 41 overall.
What if they can add a couple more in that 2nd/3rd round range? And do with players that were unlikely to be here in coming years anyways?
If they do that, a draft of having 4 picks in the first 70-ish spots is something that can create a more attractive situation to a new GM, and offer important help to kickstart the rebuild that is on the horizon.
“Making this change during the season was a deliberate decision,” Irsay-Gordon said in the statement announcing the firing of Ballard. “Waiting would only delay the important work that needs to be done now.”
Those are such true words by Irsay-Gordon. They have 3 weeks pre trade deadline to act on it. Not doing so would be malpractice.
**Action Of Accountability**
More on the intangible side of things, Monday was the sign of true organizational accountability in quite some time.
Honestly, Chris Ballard should have been fired years ago.
Nonetheless, admitting when you are wrong is a vital component of any key leader, particularly in professional sports.
And that happened on Monday morning.
NFL firings on October 19th are rare, so this move is a message sent by the Colts to many key parties.
To the Colts organization, this recent acceptance of mediocrity won’t be allowed any more. The (down the rung) scapegoats are no longer. It’s a change of culture at the top of the organization. And that creates needed change throughout.
To the NFL, such a firing this early in the season tells the rest of the league the Colts mean real change is coming. It allows Irsay-Gordon to get a bit of a head start in vetting general manager candidates and getting things in order for what is going to be a massive offseason of change, first with a new GM, and likely a new head coach.
To the fan base, this is a small win. Yes, Ballard should have been fired years ago. But this is Irsay-Gordon finally saying necessary change is coming.