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Stephen Holder
INDIANAPOLIS — IN LATE October, the Indianapolis Colts and New York Jets first broached the notion of a trade that would stun the NFL a few weeks later.
The Jets were thinking long term, looking to position themselves with future draft picks that could supplement a roster that needed bolstering. The Colts were doing no such thing. Their focus was squarely on 2025 and what they viewed as a potential Super Bowl run.
As conversations between the teams intensified, the Colts became increasingly convinced that two-time All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner could help them make a deep postseason push. Their offense, led by surprise standout Daniel Jones at quarterback, was performing at levels not seen since Hall of Famer Peyton Manning roamed the halls at Colts headquarters. Why not ensure that the defense was also able to handle the inevitable challenges that awaited in the postseason?
The playoffs seemed like a sure thing at the time, considering the Colts were tied for the NFL’s best record (7-2). ESPN’s Football Power Index gave the Colts a 93.9% chance of making the playoffs and a 79.4% chance of winning the AFC South.
So, on Nov. 4, hours before the NFL’s trade deadline, the Colts acquired Gardner for two first-round picks and 2024 second-round receiver Adonai Mitchell. It was an uber-aggressive trade, the kind Colts general manager Chris Ballard hasn’t been prone to make in his nine seasons.
The apex of the Colts’ season would come a few days later, when they secured an overtime win over the Atlanta Falcons at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium, with running back Jonathan Taylor running wild for 244 yards and the Colts posting 519 yards of total offense. Taylor scored a walk-off, winning touchdown, setting off a wild celebration.
Zaire Franklin said. «All I know is that a lot of the guys in this locker room, they’ve given it everything they had. I’ve given everything I had. But it wasn’t good enough.»
THE DAY JONES arrived in Indianapolis to sign his one-year contract in mid-March, reporters assembled to interview the new quarterback. But there was an unexpected delay before his arrival for his news conference. The explanation for his tardiness was simple: Jones and Steichen were in the coach’s office, talking ball, already diving into offensive concepts.
Even then, Steichen had a strong indication of who his likely starting quarterback would be, despite the promise of a preseason position battle between Jones and Anthony Richardson Sr. Jones and Steichen saw the game similarly, and Jones had the obsessive approach to preparation that Steichen sees as a minimum requirement to play the position.
When Jones was publicly named the starter in August, some fans reacted with surprise. But the move, according to numerous sources, was largely decided months earlier. And the bet that Steichen made on Jones, who had been discarded by the New York Giants last season, quickly paid off.
Laiatu Latu said.
The Colts had cycled through one quarterback after another since Andrew Luck stunned the world and walked away two weeks before Week 1 in 2019. From Jacoby Brissett to Carson Wentz to Matt Ryan’s disastrous final NFL season, quarterback was a constant question in Indianapolis, holding back a roster that was otherwise built to compete.
Finally, Jones provided what seemed like a solution.
Charvarius Ward, a key offseason free agent acquisition and the team’s No. 1 cornerback before Gardner’s arrival, suffered a severe concussion that landed him on injured reserve after colliding with a teammate in pregame warmups.
Two key players had been taken out before the game against the Arizona Cardinals had even kicked off. A few weeks later, in Week 9, defensive tackle DeForest Buckner — the team’s most impactful defensive player — sustained a neck injury and was put on injured reserve.
And that was only the beginning.
AFTER THE COLTS’ Week 11 bye, things seemed to be looking up with an 8-2 record. The week felt routine until the release of the Nov. 20 injury report. Jones suddenly appeared on it, listed as a limited participant in practice because of a fibula injury.
Asked the next day if it was fractured, Steichen dismissed the question.
«I’m not going to get into specifics,» he said. «He’s good to go.»
Kansas City Chiefs, and with Jones appearing limited during one of the few times he tried to scramble, it’s clear he was anything but «good.» The Colts went on to lose 23-20. Jones’ diminished mobility was again an issue a week later against the Houston Texans, when he completed a season-low 51.9% of his passes in a 20-16 loss.
Did the Colts downplay the injury out of concern that opponents might target Jones’ left leg? And was he actually playing through significant discomfort? In recent weeks, it has become clear both answers are yes.
But Jones played on. In Week 14, with the Colts playing a road game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in a game that would determine the leader of the AFC South, Jones dropped back to pass late in the first quarter. He delivered the ball while rolling out to his right but took an awkward step and immediately went down.
He grabbed his right lower leg and, when trainers raced onto the field to treat him, he began slamming his helmet into the turf in frustration. It was clear his Achilles tendon had ruptured and his promising season was over. The Colts’ long-awaited opportunity to see what quarterback stability could bring — as well as Jones’ opportunity to reshape the narrative from his days with the Giants — ended that day on a wet field in Jacksonville.
After the game, the locker room was in mourning. Players knew the likely consequences, with Richardson still on injured reserve and not expected back. Meanwhile, their only backup was rookie sixth-round draft pick Riley Leonard.
Receiver Alec Pierce, who has developed a close bond with Jones — they had become golf buddies — was particularly emotional in the aftermath of the injury.
«It was tough,» he said, holding back tears at his locker. «I’m really, really close with him. Definitely don’t want to see that out of anybody. But that’s our team leader. That’s our team captain right there. Everything runs through him, so that was real.»
The player who had created so much belief was now reduced to the role of spectator.
«I’ve kind of gone back to what happened, and I just think that’s the most important position for a reason,» Franklin said. «When you’ve got the right quarterback, it gives you hope.
«When you’ve got a guy that’s in there that’s inspiring and leading, that makes a huge difference. So, at that point, you’re top five on offense, top five on defense. You lose your quarterback and everything went to s—.»
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By that evening, Steichen was on the phone with former quarterback Philip Rivers, whom he’d coached for years with the Los Angeles Chargers and who had finished his career with a final season in Indianapolis in 2020. The Colts were desperate to stay in the playoff race and did not believe Leonard was ready for the difficult slate ahead.
They signed Rivers, a grandfather who had been retired for nearly five full seasons, as a Hail Mary on his 44th birthday. He didn’t embarrass himself, and even had some memorable moments. But the Colts lost all three of his starts.
Others tried to do their parts. Buckner made a valiant attempt at returning but reinjured his neck. Gardner, who had shown promise, sustained a calf injury that kept him sidelined. And Ward returned only to sustain another concussion that ended his season.
Irsay often referenced the football gods and whether his team seemed to be in their good graces. After an endless list of injuries and six straight losses, it’s not difficult to imagine how Jim Irsay would feel about the football gods this season.
BALLARD HAS BEEN on the job since February 2017. Irsay described him at the introductory news conference as one of the best GM candidates in recent league history.
The new executive seemed to add credence to the statement when he nailed the 2018 draft with arguably the best class in franchise history: two All-Pros (guard Quenton Nelson and linebacker Shaquille Leonard), a longtime starting right tackle (Braden Smith), a starting defensive end (Tyquan Lewis) and a Pro Bowl linebacker plucked in the seventh round (Franklin).
The Colts went to the playoffs that season, winning their first postseason game in four years. But it remains the franchise’s last postseason victory. Ballard’s regular-season record since arriving is 70-77-1 (.476) and fans have grown restless.
Meanwhile, Steichen — in his third season — has demonstrated the offensive acumen for which he’s known. But he also has presided over three straight years of blown late-season opportunities. The Colts have faced critical late games in each of the past three seasons with their playoff hopes at stake and have blown those chances.
San Francisco 49ers last week put the Colts on the brink of playoff elimination. «We’ve got to find ways to win, especially in November and December. That’s where you win games and that’s where you make the playoffs.»
Irsay’s three daughters (Kalen Jackson and Casey Foyt are also owners) face a dilemma: Do they stay the course, believing that a team that seemed destined for big things can recapture what it had earlier this season? Or do they decide that it’s time for change? It’s a massive conundrum to face in their first year of primary ownership, but the sisters are quick to offer reminders that their father prepared them to handle moments just like this.
«We may not have been the one signing,» said Jackson, the youngest sister, «but we were exposed to every area you could possibly think of. He never cut us out of any area of any kind. And I think that will help us in this transition.»
Irsay-Gordon has a very close working relationship with both Ballard and Steichen, spending hours on end each day working in football operations. She has weekly strategy sessions with Ballard, like the one during which she authorized the Gardner trade. She also meets weekly with Steichen to recap each game. At practice, she’s often standing side by side with them discussing a range of matters.
Among the discussions that probably have already been had: Ballard’s and Steichen’s current plan — revealed by team sources — to re-sign Jones in the spring, hoping for a quick recovery with the belief he can be their long-term quarterback solution. Has Irsay-Gordon endorsed that plan, and does that suggest changes aren’t likely?
Before the start of her first training camp in charge, Irsay-Gordon was asked whether this was a make-or-break season for the men in charge. Per usual, she offered a thoughtful answer.
«Do you have a crystal ball?» she asked. «Of course, things happen and some of it is we all have to look at all these factors. I mean, if we had all these injuries, decimated. … I’m just saying there’s so many different directions.
«That’s part of why it’s so fun and scary to work in sports sometimes.»
Fun and, then, scary. Unbeknownst to her at the time, it was a perfect description for her team’s 2025 season.
