6 Offseason Questions Facing 2025 Colts
Source: Mitchell Leff / Getty
1. Higher-ups Ready To Confront Needed Growth
Given how Jim Irsay has always talked about Chris Ballard, it was probably foolish to expect a change at GM, even with a resume lacking any real substance.
Ballard is under contract through 2026, and is returning. So is Steichen, with several more years on his contract.
The Ballard resume getting a 9th year is quite an amazing feat.
No division titles, 1 playoff win and 2 playoff appearances. AFC finishes in 8 years under Ballard as followed: 14th, 6th, 10th, 7th, 8th, 15, 10th, 9th.
Even as the groans continue, the chatter about Ballard and Steichen now will shift to where growth needs to occur for the general manager and head coach.
Is Ballard ready to change the defensive approach he’s helped build in Indy? What about more involvement in the early phases in free agency? Will the over reliance on retention lead to any tough decision on in-house guys?
For Steichen, the Richardson project will continue to be his most important endeavor. What about his overall job as the head coach in overseeing the entire Colts operation? Does Steichen’s messaging need to improve?
2. What Is The Anthony Richardson Plan?
One cannot stress enough how critical of an offseason Anthony Richardson is about to enter.
Seemingly healthy, Richardson must embrace a serious assessment of him as a thrower.
What does that mean?
Richardson needs to look into his off-season routine in making specifical fundamental changes that would allow for him to be a more accurate thrower of the football, mainly on shorter-to-intermediate routes.
No individual player will undergo a biggest examination this offseason than Richardson as a thrower.
Real strides here would be career changing, as we are one year away from the Colts needing to make their first financial decision on Richardson (whether or not to exercise the 5th year team option following next season).
And you can’t ignore the injury questions with Richardson. A quartet of different injuries have sidelined him from action (1 due to concussion, 12 due to right shoulder, 2 due to oblique, 1 due to back/foot). He’s missed 17 games (15 due to injury, 2 due to benching) and played in 15 games in his career. He’s been available for 45 of the team’s 87 regular season practices the last 2 years.
Even if Richardson finds better accuracy, protects the ball better and meets the definition of being an NFL quarterback, you still can’t act like he’s a guarantee to stay healthy.
If growth doesn’t happen this offseason, the clock on Richardson’s stay as the Colts franchise quarterback will be ticking fast.
3. Fourth Year For Gus Bradley?
I’ve made my thoughts known on Gus Bradley getting another year.
Someone must answer for the Colts ranking 29th, 28th and 24th in points allowed in the 3 seasons Bradley has been here.
You hear Shane Steichen describe what he likes about Bradley’s defense, and you certainly don’t walk away with much conviction on it.
Bradley began his Colts time under Frank Reich in 2022, and then was retained for the last 2 seasons under Steichen.
It would be unfair to characterize Bradley as solely responsible for the Colts defensive issues, but his presence can’t be ignored.
Another sneakier staff change to watch for me is for the people around Anthony Richardson.
Andrew Luck walked into a Chuck Pagano-staff that had veteran, highly accomplished, assistants in Bruce Arians at offensive coordinator and Clyde Christensen at quarterbacks coach.
Whereas Anthony Richardson was met with an incredibly young, inexperienced offensive staff.
Is it time to explore change there, too?
4. Key Returning Free Agents?
It is not a star-studded list of Colts in-house free agents in 2024.
However, the Colts have around a half-dozen starter-typer free agents heading into the offseason.
A reminder on the Colts 2025 pending free agents: QB-Joe Flacco (Age: 39), RB-Trey Sermon (Age: 25), WR-Ashton Dulin (Age: 27), TE-Mo Alie-Cox (Age: 31), TE-Kylen Granson (Age: 26), C-Ryan Kelly (Age: 32), DL-Dayo Odeyingbo (Age: 25), LB-E.J. Speed (Age: 29), S-Julian Blackmon (Age: 26).
Under a normal Chris Ballard offseason, one would expect the Colts to have heavy retention among that group.
But several of those free agents didn’t have the greatest contract years.
Again, typical Ballard would mean a whole lot of re-signings. Does that remain a given?
5. Braden Smith? Ryan Kelly?
These are two very different conversations when it comes to two of the longest tenured Colts.
A personal issue kept Smith away from playing for the final 5 games of the season.
Smith, 29, is under contract for one more season with a cap hit nearing $20 million for next year.
A healthy Smith (he had missed one snap this season until the personal issue took him away) is still a quality right tackle, but the Colts do appear to have someone in waiting as rookie Matt Goncalves heads for a second NFL season.
Smith will have to decide if he still wants to keep playing, and then the Colts will have to weigh if that cap value fits their roster building moving forward.
Kelly, 32, is headed for a contract year after 9 seasons with the Colts.
When the Colts drafted center Tanor Bortolini back in Round 4 this past year, it had the smell of Kelly’s run in Indy coming to a close.
Injuries sidelined Kelly for 10 games this past season.
Unless Kelly takes a big pay cut, it seems like the Colts would be wise to spend that money elsewhere and hand the starting keys to Bortolini.
Although would it make sense to explore the franchise tag at all with Kelly?
6. Philosophical Change Anywhere?
Roster building? Defensive scheme? Handling all the head coach duties?
With the Colts running it back, it is a must the Colts make some actual, substantive changes to their operation.
A continued refusal to do that will keep the Colts a below average football team.
Think back to last year’s training camp, where was the only true position battle entering things at Grand Park?
Alec Pierce vs. AD Mitchell.
And that played out with a more motivated Pierce winning things, and turning that into one of the best seasons of any Colts player.
Creating an edge, competition and uncomfortable situations is something this organization needs to embrace again, compared to running from it.
