Colts owner and CEO Carlie Irsay-Gordon said the team would begin a search for a new general manager. She said making the change during the season was intentional so the organization could start its work on a new direction without delay.

“We will conduct a thorough search for our next general manager and take the time necessary to identify the right leader for the future of this organization,” Irsay-Gordon said in a statement, while thanking Ballard for his time with the team.

Assistant general manager Ed Dodds will handle personnel operations for the remainder of the season. The future of head coach Shane Steichen, who is in his fourth season, remains uncertain. Steichen declined to speculate about his job security after Sunday’s game.

The Colts entered Sunday’s matchup heavily favored, but lost after a second-half breakdown. Fans booed the team at the stadium. Running back Jonathan Taylor said the reaction from the home crowd was difficult to hear: “You never want to hear that from your home crowd.”

Ballard spent 10 seasons as Indianapolis’ general manager. The team had a 72-82-1 regular-season record during his tenure and reached the playoffs twice, in 2018 and 2020, without winning a conference title. Indianapolis has not returned to the playoffs since the 2020 season.

The firing follows a previous season-ending collapse that kept the Colts out of the postseason. Irsay-Gordon said then that she understood fans’ anger and that the team needed to improve, but retained both Ballard and Steichen for the 2026 season after reviewing their progress.

Indianapolis is scheduled to host the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, Oct. 25, at 1 p.m. ET.