As the Colts' focus this week begins to shift toward the 2026 NFL offseason, general manager Chris Ballard on Thursday addressed newsworthy items regarding a handful of players. Here's what you need to know about each:
Quarterback Daniel Jones
Ballard emphasized there exists "mutual" interest between the Colts and Jones about re-signing the quarterback, who finished his first year in Indianapolis top-six in the NFL in completion percentage (68 percent), yards per attempt (8.1) and passer rating (100.2).
Jones, though, is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent when free agency opens in mid-March.
"I think Daniel was a really good fit for this organization, and I think this organization and city were a really good fit for Daniel," Ballard said.
As for the potential impact the torn Achilles' Jones sustained in the first quarter of the Colts' Week 14 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars could have on this process, Ballard said: "We'll work through that with his agent. He's got a really good agent. We'll find a way to work through that."
Jones on Monday said he expects to be ready by training camp. Ballard alluded to a pair of quarterbacks who recently tore their Achilles' and played Week 1 of the next season in Kirk Cousins and Aaron Rodgers; while both quarterbacks' performance dipped in those ensuing seasons following surgery, Cousins returned at 36 years old and Rodgers returned at 41.
Jones will be 29 years old when the 2026 season begins.
"He's a pretty freaky talent in terms of athletic ability," Ballard said. "I do feel confident he'll make it back. Will he be the version you saw right away? Maybe not, but he's still going to be really good. And I think as long as he goes along and plays, he'll be fine.
"The one thing I know about Daniel – he hasn't missed anything. The second he got hurt, he gets his surgery done, comes back in the building, (is) in every meeting. He rehabs like a wild man. I know this, he's going to put every ounce of his being into being the best he can be to be ready."
Quarterback Anthony Richardson Sr.
Richardson is entering the final year of his rookie contract, and the Colts have until May 1 to exercise or decline his fifth-year option. The 23-year-old Richardson was the Colts' backup quarterback until a freak accident prior to Week 6 ended his season and left him with a fractured orbital bone and vision limitations.
Richardson returned to practice over the final three weeks of the regular season but was not activated off injured reserve due to those vision limitations.
On Thursday, Ballard was asked if Richardson could have a role on the 2026 Colts.
"It was great to get him back out to practice for that three weeks where we at least got him back involved in the team and moving again," Ballard said. "But he's still gotta work through the vision he has, and we'll see what the future holds there. A little bit of bad luck. We'll see going forward how that ends up plays out. A lot of it's going to deal with his health, too."
Prior to that freak accident, Ballard said he saw "tremendous strides" from Richardson as he competed with, and then backed up, Jones.
"He's a great teammate," Ballard added. "Never sulked, never complained. (He) was doing a great job as a backup quarterback."
Quarterback Riley Leonard
After Richardson sustained that injury, Leonard – a 2025 sixth-round pick from Notre Dame – stepped in as the Colts' backup quarterback behind Jones. Ballard did say the Colts did explore acquiring veteran backup quarterback before the trade deadline, though nothing came to fruition with those discussions.
When Jones got hurt, Ballard and head coach Shane Steichen reached out to Philip Rivers to gauge the 44-year-old interest in un-retiring; that call was placed in large part because, on that Sunday night, the Colts didn't know if Leonard could play the next week against the Seattle Seahawks due to a knee injury.
"It was kind of iffy if (Leonard) could go," Ballard said.
So Rivers started Weeks 15-17 before Leonard got his chance to start in Week 18 against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. The Texans played their starters in the first half with the AFC South still in reach; over the first two quarters against one of the NFL's top defenses, Leonard completed eight of 13 passes for 133 yards with two touchdowns and a passer rating of 135.6; the Colts averaged 6.2 yards per play in that stretch.
Leonard, then, will be part of the Colts' evaluation of who their backup quarterback may be in 2026.
"I'm very encouraged by Riley," Ballard said. "... It wasn't too big for him. First half against Houston, they were playing with their dudes and he led us to 17 points in that game. I do think there's something that that is something we will evaluate. We gotta make the decision, okay, if Anthony doesn't get to where we think he can be, can Riley be the two? I think it's a position that every year we got to address in some fashion or form."
Wide receiver Alec Pierce
Pierce became the first player since Flipper Anderson to lead the NFL in yards per reception in consecutive seasons, and he finished his fourth year with the Colts with 1,003 yards on 47 catches with six touchdowns.
Over the last two seasons, Pierce has 84 catches for 1,827 yards (21.8 yards/reception) with 13 touchdowns, and in 2024, he maintained his success on downfield 50/50 throws while growing into being a threat on short and intermediate routes as well. Jones and Pierce, in particular, developed an impressive rapport last season.
Pierce is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in March.
"I thought Reggie (Wayne) did a tremendous job helping him expand his game to all three levels," Ballard said. "Alec's a priority."
Right tackle Braden Smith
Another player scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in March is Smith, who's manned right tackle for the Colts for over 100 starts since being selected in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
Smith sustained a neck injury and concussion in Week 14 and missed the Colts' final four games of the season, with fourth-round rookie Jalen Travis tagging in at right tackle for three of those games (Travis played left tackle in Week 16 with Bernhard Raimann out due to an elbow injury).
"I thought Braden played really good football, and was really proud of Braden for what he overcame a year ago and how he's handled himself," Ballard said. "Unfortunately he had an injury that ended his season, but we were really pleased with the way he played. Saying that, we were also really pleased in the way Travis played. We think he's got a lot of upside going forward."
"... I can't tell you what's going to happen with Braden at the end of the day, but I will tell you we do like where Travis is and where he's going."
Defensive tackle DeForest Buckner
Buckner dealt with a herniated disc in his neck that was pressing on a nerve, an issue which landed him on injured reserve from Weeks 10-15. He returned for Week 16, then was again placed on injured reserve ahead of Week 17. Buckner underwent neck surgery, which Ballard said was successful, and Ballard said the 31-year-old three-time Pro Bowler's "mindset is he's going to play again."
Cornerback Charvarius Ward Sr.
Ward said Monday he will discuss his future and make a decision on whether or not he wants to continue playing "ASAP" following concussions that left him with disconcerting and lingering symptoms in 2025.
The 29-year-old Ward, who signed with the Colts as a free agent last March, sustained a concussion in Week 1 and missed Week 2; he sustained another concussion – and was knocked out – when he collided with tight end Drew Ogletree during pregame warmups ahead of the Colts' Week 6 win over the Arizona Cardinals.
That second concussion was a "scary deal," Ballard said, and it left Ward with significant symptoms that took weeks to begin to resolve.
Ward again felt concussion-like symptoms after the Colts' Week 14 loss to the Jaguars and was placed on injured reserve, ending his season.
"I can't say for sure what direction that's going to go, but at the end of the day, we will have discussions with him, with Mooney, and we're going to do the best thing for him and his long-term health," Ballard said. "And so we'll see how that one ends up playing out."
Ballard, in discussing both Buckner and Ward, emphasized that he and the Colts "care deeply about these guys, not only their careers, but their long-term health."
