The Indianapolis Colts are trying to figure out how to pick up the pieces following an 8-2 start that was followed by seven straight losses. The biggest and most pressing questions lie at quarterback following the season-ending injuries to Daniel Jones and Anthony Richardson -- and the failed resurrection attempt by Philip Rivers.
After it was announced that he and head coach Shane Steichen were returning to the Colts in 2026, general manager Chris Ballard spoke Thursday about the way last season turned out, saying he was "disappointed, without question." But Ballard also put a positive spin on it, hinting at how close the team might be to competing again.
"It wasn't all negative. The 8-2 (record) is real. That was not a mirage. It wasn't," Ballard said. "We were humming, and we were playing good football."
That was when Jones, who was already trying to play through a leg fracture, suffered a season-ending Achilles injury that derailed the season. Ballard erred on the side of caution when discussing Jones' long recovery but did say he was confident in his ability to heal because of his age and genetics.
"I'm not a doctor, and I'm not God in terms of knowing what the future's gonna hold in his healing," Ballard said. "... The history of guys coming back has been pretty good and they've been older than Daniel.
"Daniel is 28 years old, and he's a pretty freaky talent in terms of athletic ability. So no, I do feel confident that he'll make it back. Will he be the version you saw right away? Maybe not, but he's still going to be really good."
Complicating matters is the fact that Jones is an unrestricted free agent, and his rehab could delay the start of his 2026 season. Nonetheless, Ballard appeared to indicate that Jones remains in the Colts' future plans.
"I think Daniel Jones has a really bright future here in Indianapolis, " Ballard said.
Ballard added: "I think (a return is) mutual on both sides. I think Daniel was a really good fit for this organization, and I think this organization and city were a really good fit for Daniel."
The fact that Richardson was still recovering from an orbital fracture when Jones got hurt compounded the issue, robbing the young QB a chance to salvage his and the Colts' season and necessitating bringing Rivers out of retirement after four-plus years out of the league. Ballard indicated Thursday that he tried to make a trade for another quarterback at the deadline but was unable to do so.
Richardson wasn't able to return to the field in the 2025 season, keeping his future in Indianapolis murky. Is there still a role for him with the Colts next season?
"That's a very fair question," Ballard said. "I was really happy with Anthony. I think you knew that even after we named Daniel Jones the starter. Unfortunately for Anthony, he's had some really bad luck. … Anthony was making really good strides.
"I'll tell you this about Anthony -- he's a great teammate, he's a great teammate. He never sulked, never complained, was doing a great job as a backup quarterback and then had a freak accident in the locker room. I think time will tell. … He's gotta still work through the vision that he has, and we'll see what the future holds there, but (he's had) a little bit of bad luck."
The Colts also have 2025 sixth-round QB Riley Leonard, who initially replaced Jones and played well in the Week 18 start after Rivers was benched.
Now the franchise must decide which quarterbacks will be back and whether they must help from outside the building. It has been near-constant turmoil at the position since Andrew Luck retired suddenly years ago.
"When you're chasing the quarterback all the time, it's hard," Ballard said. "Your margin for error shrinks down."
