Raiders to reset again? A look ahead at NFL’s looming coaching changes for non-playoff teams

The Colts went from a feel-good story and potential No. 1 overall seed when they started 7-1 to a six-game freefall that knocked them out of playoff contention, sparking questions about how new controlling owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon will approach her first full offseason.

Irsay-Gordon and those in charge in Indy have remained tight-lipped, not offering any indication into which direction they will go. And while there are no outward signs of major changes on the horizon, there’s also no track record to indicate how Irsay-Gordon might proceed.

Indianapolis had the NFL’s best record before quarterback Daniel Jones suffered a fractured fibula and played through it, and then tore his Achilles on Dec. 7. Before the injuries, he had been playing the style of football coach Shane Steichen had desired since he arrived in 2023.

Irsay-Gordon green-lit GM Chris Ballard’s decision to go all-in at November’s trade deadline, dealing two first-round picks to the Jets for cornerback Sauce Gardner, who suffered a calf injury in his third game with the team. Fellow CB Charvarius Ward and star defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, among others, were lost for long stretches to injuries, as was former first-round QB Anthony Richardson. Bringing 44-year-old QB Philip Rivers out of retirement to start the past three games was little more than a Hail Mary.

Owners sometimes want their own people in power. Yet Irsay-Gordon’s extensive investment in understanding all aspects of the football operation certainly gives her a foundation for understanding what did, and didn’t, lead to the collapse. And she has worked closely for years with Ballard, who is finishing his ninth season as GM in Indy.