Colts' trade deadline moves could be beginning of the end for Daniel Jones, Shane Steichen

The futures of Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones and head coach Shane Steichen are up in the air after team owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon fired general manager Chris Ballard following the club's Week 6 loss to the previously winless Tennessee Titans.

On Wednesday, NFL insiders Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano of ESPN explained that decisions made by those running the Colts ahead of the Nov. 10 trade deadline could be bad news for both Jones and Steichen.

Teams expect Colts to be trade-deadline sellers

"Rival teams believe Indianapolis will be open for business ahead of the trade deadline," Fowler wrote. 

That said, Fowler also suggested that the Colts could potentially change that by earning two or even three wins over the campaign's next three weeks. This coming Sunday, 2-4 Indianapolis will play at the 5-0 Minnesota Vikings. As of Wednesday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Colts as 6.5-point underdogs for that matchup. 

Which Colts could be sold ahead of the trade deadline? 

Shortly after the news of Ballard's firing broke, reporters and analysts began linking Colts running back Jonathan Taylor with teams in need of help at that position. According to Graziano, offensive lineman Quenton Nelson, defensive linemen DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart, wide receivers Josh Downs and Keenan Allen, and defensive tackle Jerry Tillery are among other Indianapolis players who could become trade targets over the next few weeks. 

"Jones' play -- 30th in QBR (38.2) with 1.5 turnovers per game -- is unsustainable over a 17-game season," Fowler added. "This situation mirrors that of the 2025 Dolphins, who fired general manager Chris Grier in October but evaluated coach Mike McDaniel over the remainder of the season, only to fire him four days after Week 18. Miami also benched a quarterback with a high-priced contract in Tua Tagovailoa late in the campaign."

The Colts can afford to move on from Jones after this season. Meanwhile, Graziano noted that "while Steichen is well-regarded and well-liked in the (Colts') building, this is definitely a situation worth monitoring for potential change at the end of the season, if not sooner." Such words could lead one to believe the Colts could both fire Steichen and bench Jones, perhaps during their Week 13 bye. 

For now, the combination of Jones and Steichen will try to focus on attempting to lead the Colts to an upset win at Minnesota's U.S. Bank Stadium. It sounds like that could prove to be a massive game regarding the future of the AFC South franchise.