Shane Steichen eager to move forward with Colts. Defensive coordinator Gus Bradley won't be back

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A determined and disappointed coach Shane Steichen walked into the Indianapolis Colts' complex Monday morning already knowing his fate.

He's returning for a third season, and general manager Chris Ballard is coming back, too.

The same can't be said for defensive coordinator Gus Bradley, who won't be retained. Steichen said in a statement Monday night that he thought it was time for a change.

Still to be determined is whether Steichen will make any other coaching changes. He knows another mediocre season, or worse, won't suffice, and it's his job to make sure next season is not a repeat of his first two with the Colts, who finished 8-9.

“We want to put a winning product on the field that our fans can be proud of,” Steichen said about 13 hours after owner Jim Irsay announced that the coach and GM would return. “I can promise you this, I’m going to be relentless in my pursuit to get this thing going in the right direction.”

Steichen's top priority will be to keep the development of 22-year-old quarterback Anthony Richardson on track.

Richardson orchestrated fourth-quarter road comebacks against the New York Jets and New England, capping the win over the Patriots by calling his own number on the decisive 2-point conversion with 12 seconds left.

But inexplicable moments and games proved costly for Richardson and the Colts.

Jonathan Taylor's apparent TD run at Denver that would have given the Colts a 20-7 lead in the third quarter was instead determined to be a fumble that resulted in a touchback because Taylor dropped the ball before crossing the goal line. Indy eventually lost 31-13, a defeat that helped extend its four-year playoff drought.

The Colts lost twice to Houston by a total of five points, lost yet again at Jacksonville and somehow managed to allow the New York Giants, the league's lowest-scoring team, to put up 45 points in a playoff-eliminating loss in Week 17.

"Since I’ve been a Colt, it was our worst year defensively,” Pro Bowl defensive tackle DeForest Buckner said. “I felt like, at times, we were just a bunch of individuals out there. At times, I felt like there was just a bunch of guys out there playing football. It didn’t look like a unit out there, at times, and it showed.”

The loss to the Giants was followed by reports of players being late to team meetings and rehab, something Steichen tried to explain away by acknowledging most teams have players occasionally show up late. Even former players began to question the standards and accountability inside the team complex.

So when Irsay opted to give Steichen and Ballard another chance in 2025, it came with a caveat — if things don't improve dramatically in 2025, they may not be back in 2026.

“Those are going to be the conversations we’re going to have because, obviously, it wasn’t good enough this year,” Steichen said. “We’re going to have those tough conversations moving forward.”

Richardson's next step

The 22-year-old Richardson showed flashes of his potential. He ran well and when paired with the resurgent Taylor — who was selected to his first Pro Bowl since 2021 — the Colts showed their ground game could be one of the league's best.

But Richardson missed six more games — four because of injury, two when he was benched after taking himself out of a game against Houston because he was tired. And his completion percentage, 47.7%, was the lowest of any starting quarterback in the league.

Steichen knows Richardson must become more consistent for the Colts to take a big step forward.

“He made strides. I mean, he won us some games, he made some big-time plays,” Steichen said. “Did the first two years go the way that we wanted them? No, but it’s (a) learning experience, it’s a growth experience for him and everybody.”

Captain talk

Buckner and linebacker Zaire Franklin are two of the defense's most prominent voices, and both understand they must be part of the solution.

Last week, Franklin apologized for saying on his podcast in October, “I want to play a team I knew we gonna spank, like the Giants.” Franklin said he'd spend this offseason rethinking several things, including whether to continue the podcast.

Buckner, meanwhile, intends to use his voice another way — recruiting free agents.

“This offseason, there’s going to be some changes, and sometimes those changes are going to be uncomfortable for people,” he said. “There will be uncomfortable conversations.”

Injury report

Receiver Michael Pittman Jr. was scheduled to have scan on his injured back Monday to determine whether he needed surgery. Pittman was expected to go on injured reserve in Week 6 but instead continued to play with a fracture in his back.

He said Monday he suffered started feeling back pain during a joint practice against Arizona at training camp. He still managed to catch 69 passes for 808 yards.

Starting safety Julian Blackmon also said Monday he suffered a torn labrum in his shoulder injury during the season opener. The injury kept him out of Indy's next game, but Blackmon returned in Week 3 and didn't miss another game. He can become a free agent in March.

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Michael Marot, The Associated Press