The Indianapolis Colts hired Chris Ballard in 2017, and within days, then Colts punter Pat McAfee announced his retirement. It was the end of one era and the start of another. However, the Ballard era is now over too, and the man who walked out the door as it began has plenty to say about what it produced.
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“Huge news at Indianapolis,” McAfee said in a video on X. “Chris Ballard has been fired as the Indianapolis Colts general manager…I mean, we haven’t won an AFC South in f——g forever. The culture seemed to be so soft with no accountability for a long time. There was rumors about people missing meetings and missing treatment and there being no real repercussions. There’s been coaches fired. There’s been OCs fired. There’s been DCs fired.
“There’s been new people brought in, new players brought in, old players sent out. And we’re still a–. Chris Ballard is a good man. Good man. But f–k, he never won with the Colts. And I don’t think he was doing it in a manner in which you could win. I think he liked his guys, which I appreciate and should as a GM. But I think his guys didn’t really have it. We’ve been kicking the stigma around Indianapolis. And the stigma that we’ve had for a long time is that we’re a– at football.”
The Indianapolis Colts fired general manager Chris Ballard on October 19, ending his decade-long tenure with the organization. The decision came less than 24 hours after a brutal 26-20 home loss to the previously winless Tennessee Titans, dropping the Colts to a 2-4 start to the 2026 season.
According to owner and CEO Carlie Irsay-Gordon, the mid-season move was a step to avoid delaying a necessary rebuild to restore the team’s standard of competing for championships.
Through nearly 10 seasons under Ballard, the Colts accumulated a 72-82-1 regular-season record and just a 1-2 postseason record. They only reached the playoffs twice (2018 and 2020) and never won an AFC South division title during his entire run, something that was also brought to attention by Pat McAfee.
McAfee spent his entire eight-year playing career in Indianapolis. In 127 games, he punted for 26,653 yards. He also earned two Pro Bowl selections (2014, 2016) and a First-Team All-Pro nod in 2014.
The Colts were dear to the former NFL punter-turned-analyst. On top of that, when Chris Ballard first took over as general manager of the Indianapolis Colts in early 2017, he made a promise to Pat McAfee about improving the team.
However, going through another change in the decision-makers group after no major triumphs under Ballard has seemingly infuriated McAfee.