Indianapolis Colts coach Shane Steichen and general manager Chris Ballard will return for the 2026 season, the team announced after Sunday’s season-closing 38-30 loss to the host Houston Texans.
Colts owner and CEO Carlie Irsay-Gordon will hold a news conference on Monday.
Steichen, 40, has posted a record of 25-26 in three seasons. The Colts started the 2025 season with a mark of 8-2, but lost their final seven games. After leading the team to an 8-4 record, resurgent quarterback Daniel Jones suffered a torn right Achilles in Week 14 vs. Jacksonville and the Colts struggled to score as teams focused on slowing running back Jonathan Taylor.
Indianapolis brought 44-year-old Philip Rivers out of retirement in the wake of Jones’ injury and the team went 0-3 in Rivers’ starts. Rookie Riley Leonard was the starting quarterback in the finale.
“We showed signs early in the season that were pretty darn good, and we had some unfortunate circumstances, but that’s part of the league,” Steichen said Sunday prior to the news that he was being retained. “You have to overcome those circumstances. That’s where you have to learn from and grow from (so) when you get in those situations, again, you learn from them, and you’re like, ‘Hey, here’s how we have to win now with the circumstances that we have.'”
Prior to his tenure with the Colts, Steichen was the offensive coordinator for both the Philadelphia Eagles (2021-22) and Los Angeles Chargers (2020).
Ballard will enter his 10th season with the franchise. He was hired in 2017 after serving as the Kansas City Chiefs’ director of football operations from 2015-16.
The Colts have not won a division title in Ballard’s tenure, posting a record of 70-78-1. They have made two playoff appearances (2018, 2020), winning once and dropping a pair.
–Field Level Media
