Is Chris Ballard’s position as GM of the Colts even highly coveted? Should he be?

Let us forget the fact that Chris Ballard is the General Manager of the Indianapolis Colts since 2017 and has one playoff win to his name. Let’s forget the fact that the Colts haven’t won any division championships during that time period either. Let’s also ignore the fact that it took him five years to find a potential replacement for Andrew Luck. Now, I said we should forget all that, but can we really? It’s part of Ballard’s resume. As we head into year eight, is his spot even in demand? Should it be?

Ballard is one of the most polarizing members of the Colts organization. Coach, quarterback and GM are usually the ones who cause the most controversy among fans. Frank Reich was fired and we had a new quarterback every year. The only constant was Ballard.

Some fans love him. They consider him a great drafter. His ability to trade and find diamonds in the rough is unmatched. He can compete with Michael Pittman Jr., Quenton Nelson, Shaquille Leonard, Jonathan Taylor, Grover Stewart and many other pillars of the organization. Because of these great discoveries, he is often spared.

The other side of the fan base is quick to point out that it actually went nowhere. And there’s more to his role as GM than just the draft. Yes, there’s real team building going on there and that’s crucial to long-term success. In other areas, like free agency, he falls short. Ballard is never one to open his wallet and spends each offseason not caring about how many free agents go to other teams. The flexibility offered by the annual salary cap is much more attractive.

It’s fair to see Ballard as a good drafter and a less than stellar free agency GM. If that’s the case, where does he stand? He signed an extension in 2021 and outlasted Reich, who signed the same contract. There won’t be another extension without results. That seems perfectly fair to me. I wonder if that means he has a full year left before his spot gets hot, or is the spot warmer already on? What level of pressure is going on in Jim Irsay’s head? He’s very supportive of his staff, but even he has a breaking point. When will that point be reached?

Chris Ballard has had plenty of opportunities to be a winner in the NFL. His team is in a division without a truly dominant force, and yet he was the only one that failed to win the division crown. When draft classes are this good, they have to produce results on the field. The problem is, we just haven’t seen that yet. I don’t think the spot is that hot yet, but if we don’t see serious results and growth from the team this year, I doubt he’ll make it to the end of his contract.