INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard skipped the excuses during his end of season news conference.
He refused to blame the franchise's second-half collapse and five-year playoff drought on injuries — or anything else.
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Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) dives past Indianapolis Colts safety Cam Bynum (0) for a touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game in Houston, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. (11) dives in an attempt to make a first down against the Houston Texans during the second half of an NFL football game in Houston, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce (14) is defended by Houston Texans cornerback Ja'marcus Ingram (42) as he fails to make a catch in the end zone during the second half of an NFL football game in Houston, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen talks to the media following an NFL football game against the Houston Texans in Houston, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Instead, Ballard said he intends to spend this offseason finding solutions for Indy's continual late-season failures.
“In ’21, we're 9-6 and if we win one of the last two, we're in the playoffs,” he said. “In ’23, we win the last game, we win the division. Last year, at the end, and we go to New York and lay an egg (against the Giants). This year, we have a chance, and we lose seven in a row. So I've not lost confidence. We want to win the division, we want to win the Super Bowl and ultimately that's what need to be able to get to make this city proud.”
Colts fans have heard this all before and are hoping this time will be different.
Last season, the late Jim Irsay gave Ballard and coach Shane Steichen another chance to prove they could get Indy (8-9) back to the postseason. Ballard changed his approach by signing several high-priced free agents and making a blockbuster deal at the trade deadline.
It almost worked. Indy jumped out to an 8-2 start only to watch it all unravel as Ballard's highest-profile acquisitions — quarterback Daniel Jones and cornerbacks Sauce Gardner and Charvarius Ward — each went down with injuries.
But Irsay's daughters — Carlie Irsay-Gordon, Casey Foyt and Kalen Jackson — are giving Ballard and Steichen yet another chance to get it right.
On Monday, Irsay-Gordon repeatedly told reporters the urgency of returning to the playoffs has never been higher. On Tuesday, they released a letter to the public.
Ballard responded Thursday by citing some of the changes that must made if the Colts intend to overcome injuries and have a stronger finishing kick.
“We've got to handle adversity better, we've got to finish better," he said. "We were 2-7 in one-possession games. We've got to flip that trend. There are things in two-minute that we have to look at because we were giving up too many scores at the end of halves. That's something that's got to be corrected. I'm not necessarily saying I have the answers right now, but we're working toward that.”
Ballard made it clear re-signing Jones and receiver Alec Pierce are both high on the priority list.
Jones was in the MVP conversation until November when he suffered a fractured lower left leg and then a season-ending torn right Achilles tendon. Pierce, meanwhile, is expected to cash in on his deep-threat ability after leading all NFL qualifiers in yards per reception each of the past two seasons.
“He's a pretty freaky talent in terms of athletic ability. Will he be the version you saw right away? Maybe not, but he still could be pretty good right away. I think Daniel has a very bright future in Indianapolis," Ballard said, referring to Jones before addressing Pierce. "From the day we worked him out at the University of Cincinnati. we had a great belief in Alec Pierce. I think he's been a good player every year."
The biggest offseason question might be what Indy does with quarterback Anthony Richardson.
In addition to dealing with an array of injuries since being selected with the No. 4 overall draft pick in 2023, Richardson has struggled with his accuracy and threw only two passes in 2025 after Jones won the starting job in training camp.
“Going into training camp, I thought Anthony had made great strides,” Ballard said. “He’s a great teammate. I think time will tell, but it was great to get him back out to practice for that last three weeks or at least getting him involved with the team and moving again."
The defense could be in line for a major overhaul with big money tied up in older veterans, some key players hitting free agency and as Ward contemplates retirement following three concussions this season.
“I think our age showed a little bit, and we've got to get younger," Ballard said. We've got to get faster on the defensive side."
Two veterans who do fit into the Colts' long-term plans are three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle DeForest Buckner and Gardner, a two-time All-Pro. Both battled injuries over the last two months of the season but are expected to be key long-term building blocks for Ballard.
“I said, ‘Look, would we get this guy in the draft?’ Well, OK, maybe with a little luck," Ballard said when asked about trading two first-round picks for Gardner. “But you talk about a premier guy who's 24 years old and the contract, we thought, was advantageous. He's got a bright future and he's going to be a core piece for us here for a while.”
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Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) dives past Indianapolis Colts safety Cam Bynum (0) for a touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game in Houston, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. (11) dives in an attempt to make a first down against the Houston Texans during the second half of an NFL football game in Houston, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce (14) is defended by Houston Texans cornerback Ja'marcus Ingram (42) as he fails to make a catch in the end zone during the second half of an NFL football game in Houston, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen talks to the media following an NFL football game against the Houston Texans in Houston, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
U.S. forces have boarded another oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea. The announcement was made Friday by the U.S. military. The Trump administration has been targeting sanctioned tankers traveling to and from Venezuela.
The pre-dawn action was carried out by U.S. Marines and Navy, taking part in the monthslong buildup of forces in the Caribbean, according to U.S. Southern Command, which declared “there is no safe haven for criminals” as it announced the seizure of the vessel called the Olina.
Navy officials couldn’t immediately provide details about whether the Coast Guard was part of the force that took control of the vessel as has been the case in the previous seizures. A spokesperson for the U.S. Coast Guard said there was no immediate comment on the seizure.
The Olina is the fifth tanker that has been seized by U.S. forces as part of a broader effort by Trump’s administration to control the distribution of Venezuela’s oil products globally following the U.S. ouster of President Nicolás Maduro in a surprise nighttime raid.
The latest:
The State Department says it has sent a small team of diplomats and diplomatic security officials to Venezuela to make a preliminary assessment about the potential reopening of the U.S. Embassy in Caracas.
The department said the team, led by acting ambassador to Venezuela John McNamara, arrived in Caracas on Friday. The team is from the Venezuelan Affairs Unit, which is based outside of the country and has been since the embassy was shuttered in 2019.
The team is there “to conduct an initial assessment for a potential phased resumption of operations,” the department said.
U.S. officials say no decision has yet been made on whether or when to fully reopen the embassy.
Republican Ho Nieh is the new chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, replacing fellow Republican David Wright.
Nieh, who was confirmed to the commission last month, previously worked at Atlanta-based Southern Co., which recently added two new nuclear reactors at Plant Vogtle near Augusta.
Nieh worked at the NRC for two decades and is the agency’s first former resident inspector to serve as a commissioner.
Trump recently fired a Democratic commissioner as he continues to assert more control over independent regulatory agencies.
Richard Grenell, president of the Kennedy Center, says a documentary film about first lady Melania Trump will make its premiere later this month, posting a trailer on X.
As the Trumps prepared to return to the White House last year, Amazon Prime Video announced a year ago that it had obtained exclusive licensing rights for a streaming and theatrical release directed by Brett Ratner.
Melania Trump also released a self-titled memoir in late 2024.
Some artists have canceled scheduled Kennedy Center performances after a newly installed board voted to add President Donald Trump’s to the facility, prompting Grenell to accuse the performers of making their decisions because of politics.
Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum says that she has asked her foreign affairs secretary to reach out directly to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio or Trump regarding comments by the American leader that the U.S. cold begin ground attacks against drug cartels.
In a wide-ranging interview with Fox News aired Thursday night, Trump said, “We’ve knocked out 97% of the drugs coming in by water and we are going to start now hitting land, with regard to the cartels. The cartels are running Mexico. It’s very sad to watch.”
As she has on previous occasions, Sheinbaum downplayed the remarks, saying “it is part of his way of communicating.” She said she asked her Foreign Affairs Secretary Juan Ramón de la Fuente to strengthen coordination with the U.S.
Sheinbaum has repeatedly rebuffed Trump’s offer to send U.S. troops after Mexican drug cartels. She emphasizes that there will be no violation of Mexico’s sovereignty, but the two governments will continue to collaborate closely.
Analysts do not see a U.S. incursion in Mexico as a real possibility, in part because Sheinbaum’s administration has been doing nearly everything Trump has asked and Mexico is a critical trade partner.
Trump says he wants to secure $100 billion to remake Venezuela’s oil infrastructure, a lofty goal going into a 2:30 meeting on Friday with executives from leading oil companies. His plan rides on oil producers being comfortable in making commitments in a country plagued by instability, inflation and uncertainty.
The president has said that the U.S. will control distribution worldwide of Venezuela’s oil and will share some of the proceeds with the country’s population from accounts that it controls.
“At least 100 Billion Dollars will be invested by BIG OIL, all of whom I will be meeting with today at The White House,” Trump said Friday in a pre-dawn social media post.
Trump is banking on the idea that he can tap more of Venezuela’s petroleum reserves to keep oil prices and gasoline costs low.
At a time when many Americans are concerned about affordability, the incursion in Venezuela melds Trump’s assertive use of presidential powers with an optical spectacle meant to convince Americans that he can bring down energy prices.
Trump is expected to meet with oil executives at the White House on Friday.
He hopes to secure $100 billion in investments to revive Venezuela’s oil industry. The goal rides on the executives’ comfort with investing in a country facing instability and inflation.
Since a U.S. military raid captured former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro on Saturday, Trump has said there’s a new opportunity to use the country’s oil to keep gasoline prices low.
The full list of executives invited to the meeting has not been disclosed, but Chevron, ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips are expected to attend.
Attorneys general in five Democratic-led states have filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump’s administration after it said it would freeze money for several public benefit programs.
The Trump administration has cited concerns about fraud in the programs designed to help low-income families and their children. California, Colorado, Minnesota, Illinois and New York states filed the lawsuit Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
The lawsuit asks the courts to order the administration to release the funds. The attorneys general have called the funding freeze an unconstitutional abuse of power.
Iran’s judiciary chief has vowed decisive punishment for protesters, signaling a coming crackdown against demonstrations.
Iranian state television reported the comments from Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei on Friday. They came after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei criticized Trump’s support for the protesters, calling Trump’s hands “stained with the blood of Iranians.”
The government has shut down the internet and is blocking international calls. State media has labeled the demonstrators as “terrorists.”
The protests began over Iran’s struggling economy and have become a significant challenge to the government. Violence has killed at least 50 people, and more than 2,270 have been detained.
Trump questions why a president’s party often loses in midterm elections and suggests voters “want, maybe a check or something”
Trump suggested voters want to check a president’s power and that’s why they often deliver wins for an opposing party in midterm elections, which he’s facing this year.
“There’s something down, deep psychologically with the voters that they want, maybe a check or something. I don’t know what it is, exactly,” he said.
He said that one would expect that after winning an election and having “a great, successful presidency, it would be an automatic win, but it’s never been a win.”
Hiring likely remained subdued last month as many companies have sought to avoid expanding their workforces, though the job gains may be enough to bring down the unemployment rate.
December’s jobs report, to be released Friday, is likely to show that employers added a modest 55,000 jobs, economists forecast. That figure would be below November’s 64,000 but an improvement after the economy lost jobs in October. The unemployment rate is expected to slip to 4.5%, according to data provider FactSet, from a four-year high of 4.6% in November.
The figures will be closely watched on Wall Street and in Washington because they will be the first clean readings on the labor market in three months. The government didn’t issue a report in October because of the six-week government shutdown, and November’s data was distorted by the closure, which lasted until Nov. 12.
FILE - President Donald Trump dances as he walks off stage after speaking to House Republican lawmakers during their annual policy retreat, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
