Colts' Chris Ballard criticized for handling of Daniel Jones, Alec Pierce situations

On paper, the decision made by Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard to retain the rights to quarterback Daniel Jones for the 2026 season via the transition tag paid off. 

Jones seemingly won't be going anywhere, and the Colts were able to hold onto wide receiver Alec Pierce by getting him to agree to a four-year, $116M contract. Indianapolis later agreed to trade receiver Michael Pittman Jr. to the Pittsburgh Steelers, who will eventually sign a three-year, $59M deal with Pittsburgh. 

On Wednesday, NFL insider Jason La Canfora of SportsBoom spoke with multiple executives about Ballard's offseason decisions. 

Have Colts "made some big mistakes" this offseason?

"I don’t get it at all," one unnamed long-time NFL personnel executive told La Canfora. "I can’t figure out what Chris is doing. It doesn’t add up for me. He could have signed the quarterback at his price, without the tag, put the tag on Pierce, and kept Pittman, and saved a lot of money. Pierce doesn’t have as much leverage if he’s on the tag, and he probably takes what you have on the table after the draft. I think they’d made some big mistakes."

Jones is on track to earn a fully guaranteed $37.83M for the 2026 season unless he and the Colts agree to a multiyear deal. To compare, Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens is set to earn roughly $27.3M while on the franchise tag. 

NFL Network insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reported that Jones' camp and the Colts had "made significant progress toward a two-year extension." It's unclear how other teams would have valued Jones had he not been tagged, as he suffered a fibula injury in Week 12 of the 2025 season before he went down with a campaign-ending torn Achilles tendon on Dec. 7.

Is this offseason the beginning of the end of Chris Ballard's Colts tenure? 

"I like Chris a lot and respect him as an evaluator, but that thing looks like it’s running its course there, unfortunately," a second executive said about Ballard. Meanwhile, a third executive told La Canfora that Ballard reacted out of fear that "he wouldn’t have a quarterback he’s comfortable with." 

If the Colts aren't part of the playoffs in January 2027, Ballard may not get another opportunity to restructure the team's roster during an offseason.