Colts' Jim Irsay Speaks Up about Gus Bradley

While Bradley's 2024 season was underwhelming, and the defense allowed multitudes of yards, missed tackles, and completions, the veteran coordinator was still a true leader and mentor for the Colts players. Team owner Jim Irsay posted a heartfelt message regarding the former coach.

Bradley's defense finished the campaign 29th in total yards per game (361.2), 26th in passing (229.4), and 24th in rushing (131.8). While these aren't glamorous metrics to any degree, the Colts had positive moments, tying for seventh in the NFL in defensive takeaways with 25.

Bradley's defense this season brought a nice haul of interceptions from Kenny Moore II (three), Nick Cross (three), Julian Blackmon (three), Jaylon Jones (two), and Samuel Womack III (two), so it wasn't all bad from Indy's secondary and stop troops.

The Colts will need a reinvigorated drive in their next defensive coordinator. While Bradley was experienced, tenured, and had past success with teams like the Seattle Seahawks, those days are long gone. 2024 showed that Bradley's scheme, at least for the Colts, is outdated and easy for offenses to exploit.

Bradley's veteran leadership will be missed in Indy's locker room, but the Colts need results defensively in 2025, which is why this move to part ways was necessary. Players like defensive tackle DeForest Buckner (30), cornerback Moore II (29), and linebacker Zaire Franklin (28) aren't getting any younger and need to maximize their primes while they can.

We'll see who the Colts decide to hire next to coach the defensive side of the ball. There are plenty of candidates to fit the bill , so Irsay, Chris Ballard, and head coach Shane Steichen must be critical of their next choice to avoid any pitfalls like we've seen over the last three years with Bradley.