Ballard Breaks 9-Year Rule With Blockbuster Trade Then Watches Colts Lose 7 Straight Games

For nearly a decade, Chris Ballard ran the Indianapolis Colts like a man who never wanted to be rushed into anything. He believed in building through the draft, staying patient, and letting the process work. In nine years as GM, he made exactly one trade deadline deal, picking up Zack Moss in 2022, and even that was more about letting Nyheim Hines leave than making a splash.

Then November 4, 2025 happened. The Colts were 7-2 and sitting pretty atop the AFC. Ballard did something nobody expected, he swung a blockbuster deal with the New York Jets for two-time All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner. The price? Two first-round picks (2026 and 2027) plus young receiver Adonai Mitchell. It was the boldest move of Ballard’s career.

Two First-Rounders and a Massive Contract? That’s a Steep Bill

Let’s talk about what the Colts actually gave up, because the price tag was eye-watering. They handed the Jets first-round picks in two consecutive drafts and threw in Adonai Mitchell, a young wideout who hadn’t hit his stride yet but still had real potential.

On top of that, Gardner came with a freshly signed four-year, $120.4 million extension, making him the highest-paid corner in NFL history. Indianapolis only had to cover a small portion of his salary for 2025, but the real financial hit starts in 2026. Even at the time, many called it an overpay.

On Paper, This Secondary Looked Absolutely Stacked

You can see why Ballard thought this move made sense. The Colts had already gone on a spending spree to beef up their defensive backfield when they signed cornerback Charvarius Ward to a three-year deal worth up to $60 million and locked in safety Camryn Bynum for four years at $60 million.

Add Gardner to that mix alongside Pro Bowl slot corner Kenny Moore II, and you’ve got a secondary that looks terrifying on paper. But here’s where reality hit hard. Ward suffered three concussions during the season, landed on injured reserve, and appeared in just seven games.

The Colts’ Biggest Problem Was Never the Secondary

Here’s the thing that makes this whole trade sting even more, the Colts’ real weakness wasn’t at cornerback, it was their pass rush, and it was terrible. Indianapolis finished the 2025 season ranked 30th in ESPN’s pass rush win rate at a dismal 29%, and 23rd in pressure rate at 34.1%. Outside of Laiatu Latu and his 8.5 sacks, no other Colts defender even cracked 5.0 sacks individually.

It doesn’t matter how good your corners are if the quarterback has all day to scan the field and pick apart your coverage. That’s exactly what kept happening. ​

They Could Have Gone After Maxx Crosby Instead

This is the part that drives Colts fans crazy. While Ballard was chasing a cornerback, one of the NFL’s most dominant pass rushers was potentially available. Las Vegas Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby had been generating serious trade buzz. FOX Sports’ Jay Glazer reported that Crosby was set to part ways with Las Vegas and would be traded during the offseason.

The expected price for Crosby was steep, likely being far more than what Dallas got for Micah Parsons, which included two first-rounders and a starter. But that’s exactly the problem. By spending those 2026 and 2027 first-round picks on Gardner, the Colts locked themselves out of any realistic bid for Crosby.

Then Everything Fell Apart — Fast

What happened after the Gardner trade was genuinely historic, and not in a good way. The Colts went 8-2, beat Atlanta to go to 8-2 on November 9, and then didn’t win again. Seven straight losses to close out the season. An 8-9 final record. Injuries piled up ruthlessly, and most devastatingly, quarterback Daniel Jones suffered a ruptured Achilles that ended his season.

The supporting cast around him crumbled, and important defenders went down as well. ESPN Research confirmed the 2025 Colts became the first team in the Super Bowl era to be six games over .500 at any point and finish with a losing record.

Five Years Without Playoffs And Counting

Indianapolis was officially eliminated from playoff contention in Week 17 when the Houston Texans beat the Los Angeles Chargers. The Colts finished 2-4 against AFC South opponents and a dreadful 2-6 on the road, dropping their final four divisional games against playoff-bound Jacksonville and Houston.

That’s now five consecutive seasons without a postseason appearance for Indianapolis, stretching all the way back to their 2020 Wild Card exit. They also became the first team in NFL history to start 8-2 or better and still finish with a losing record. The 1995 Oakland Raiders previously held the dubious record of starting 8-2 and missing the playoffs, but even they finished at .500.

The Colts Have Almost Nothing Left for the Draft

The fallout from the Gardner trade goes well beyond 2025. With their 2026 and 2027 first-round picks gone, the Colts are heading into this offseason with a dangerously thin draft hand. Indianapolis was initially slated to have just five picks in the upcoming draft. Projections from Over The Cap suggest they might gain a couple of late compensatory picks for losing Joe Flacco and E.J. Speed in free agency.

Even so, that gives them the least draft capital of any team in the AFC South. To make matters worse, the first-round pick the Colts sent to the Jets, which would have been No. 32 when the trade happened, ended up at No. 15 after the collapse. The Jets got a much better pick than anyone anticipated.

Ballard’s Entire Tenure Now Comes Down to This Trade

For years, Colts fans and media criticized Ballard for being too passive. He wouldn’t trade up, wouldn’t make splashy moves, and stuck rigidly to his draft-and-develop philosophy. Then, the one time he broke from that mold, it backfired in spectacular fashion.

ESPN called the 2025 season a story defined by historic collapse and questioned what comes next for the franchise’s leadership. Whether owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon agrees enough to keep Ballard and head coach Shane Steichen remains the franchise’s biggest offseason question.

So Where Do the Colts Go From Here?

With limited draft picks and Gardner’s escalating contract on the books, the Colts have to get creative this offseason. Free agency is essentially their only realistic path to fixing the pass rush. PFF has identified Indianapolis as a top landing spot for edge rusher Trey Hendrickson, who led the NFL with 17.5 sacks under Lou Anarumo’s defensive scheme in Cincinnati and has ranked among the top five in pass-rush grading over the past three seasons.

The talent is real but so are the limitations. Indianapolis has to somehow rebuild on the fly while carrying the weight of a trade that was supposed to push them over the top but instead sent them spiraling downward.

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Sources:
ESPN, “What the Colts’ Historic Collapse Could Mean for Their Future,” January 1, 2026​
Horseshoe Heroes, “Disastrous Sauce Gardner Trade Might Have Set the Colts Back Years,” December 13, 2025 ​
ESPN, “Colts, Sauce Gardner Optimistic Despite 2025 Disaster,” January 25, 2026 ​
Horseshoe Heroes, “Jonathan Taylor Went No Holds Barred on Colts’ Historic Demise,” December 29, 2025 ​
PFF via Stampede Blue, “PFF Names Colts as Top Landing Spot for Premier Free Agent Pass Rusher Trey Hendrickson,” February 13, 2026​​