INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Colts fired general manager Chris Ballard on Monday following the loss to the previously winless Titans on Sunday.

Ballard was in his 10th season with the Colts. Indy made it to the playoffs twice during his tenure and never won the AFC South.

WISH-TV and WRTV Colts Insider Kevin Bowen said he was “not surprised at all” by the dismissal, saying there was plenty of evidence for him to be fired after the 2022 season, when the Colts went 4-12-1.

Bowen shared why the timing of the move on Monday was significant.

“It’s the middle of October,” Bowen said. “The NFL trade deadline is November 10th. I think in the next three weeks, we could be seeing some pillar players move off this football team. That’s just the reality when you make a move like this, it leads to a fire sale. The new GM, whenever that hire is made, is going to come into this building and is going to remove a lot of the top end players, older players, expensive players, some good players, off this football team. That’s just the nature of the business. So in the next three weeks, you’ve got to get return on those players. I would assume and think the Colts need to have a sell of many of their top flight players in order to try and recoup some of the draft picks that, again, they don’t have their first round pick.”

Bowen has covered the Colts for 16 years and is a radio host for 107.5 The Fan, hosting “The Fan Morning Show.”

The Colts traded their 2026 and 2027 first rounds picks in exchange for cornerback Sauce Gardner at the 2025 trade deadline.

Colts owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon said in a statement on Monday she expects the Colts to “complete, improve, and win football games” this season. The Colts are just two games behind the Jaguars for first place in the AFC South, but Bowen is not optimistic.

“As far as this season is concerned, the product that I’ve seen on the football field through the first six weeks, this is not a playoff team,” Bowen said. “This is a six or seven win football team at best… So far, this looks like a team destined to be watching the playoffs for a sixth straight year.”

The Colts (2-4) look to bounce back against the Minnesota Vikings (5-0) on the road this week. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Sunday.