Indianapolis Colts 2026 Offseason Outlook

Looking at the final NFL standings for 2025 without knowing exactly what happened along the way, one would never have dreamed that the Indianapolis Colts had the inside track at making the Super Bowl well into November. Yet that was, indeed, the case. Going into their Week 11 bye, the Colts were the AFC’s No. 1 seed. Things were looking so good that the Colts felt justified trading away a pair of first-round draft picks in exchange for a player they thought might be the last piece of a championship puzzle.

And then, of course, everything fell apart. The main problem was that Daniel Jones, in his first year as Indy’s quarterback, injured his knee and then tore his Achilles and was lost for the season. But that was only part of the collapse, as the Colts lost their last seven games of the season and missed the playoffs entirely.

There’s plenty of blame to go around, but the main goal of the offseason will be to figure out if Jones will be healthy enough to play when the 2026 season begins — and if the answer is yes, they still need to successfully re-sign him, as the former New York Giants’ first-round pick is a free agent. And if Jones is not the answer, either because of the injury or a desire to move on, then head coach Shane Steichen and general manager Chris Ballard must decide if Anthony Richardson deserves another shot to start or if they need to look elsewhere.

2025 recap

Talk about a tale of two seasons. Sure, the first half of the schedule was relatively light, but the team’s 8-2 start did feature quality wins against the likes of the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers. Jones was playing well and, more importantly, running back Jonathan Taylor was playing at an MVP level. Taylor had 15 rushing touchdowns through 10 games and was on pace to rush for more than 1,900 yards. That pace, however, came to a grinding halt even before Jones’ injury.

Likewise, the Colts’ receiving corps and good-looking rookie tight end Tyler Warren saw a major dip in production. And by the time 44-year-old Philip Rivers came out of retirement in an attempt to salvage Indy’s season, it was too little too late. Rivers’ return made for a great story. But while he didn’t embarrass himself, he was unavble to make a difference.

As for that last piece of the puzzle, the Colts sent a pair of first-round picks — 2026 and 2027 — to the Jets for shutdown cornerback Sauce Gardner. Unfortunately for the Colts, Gardner was lost to injury four games into his Indy career and missed the last month of the season. That absence contributed to the team ranking 30th in the league in pass defense.

When all was said and done, the Colts lost seven straight games to end the season 8-9.

Key free agents

QB Daniel Jones
RT Braden Smith
DE Samson Ebukam
DE Kwity Paye
WR Alec Pierce

Colts salary cap space

$35,598,489

2026 draft needs

Defense is the focus, particularly linebacker and the interior line (DeForest Buckner is still solid but he turns 32 in March). Adding some depth on the offensive line would help as well. Eight-time Pro Bowl guard Quenton Nelson turns 30 next month. Of course, with no first-round picks this year or next, the Colts will have to be very targeted with who they take on Day 2 and 3.

2026 opponents

Home:Houston, Jacksonville, Tennessee, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Dallas, Miami, N.Y. Giants

Away:Houston, Jacksonville, Tennessee, Cleveland, Kansas City, Minnesota, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington