With the Colts looking for a new general manager after moving on from Chris Ballard, the job description is already taking shape: lean into analytics, bring a broader résumé to the table, and don’t let Adetomiwa Adebawore get away.
That was the message from Zach Hicks of Locked On Colts, who joined The Fan Morning Show on Zoom and made clear what he wants from Indianapolis’ next front-office leader. He said he believes owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon wants the organization to head in a more analytical direction, and he’s on board with that shift.
Hicks pointed to Baltimore, Cleveland, Philadelphia and San Francisco as the kind of front offices he wants the Colts to emulate. “Those front offices are really big on analytics, and I want to see a GM that’s on the forefront of that movement going forward,” he said.
For Hicks, the next hire should also look different from Ballard’s background. He wants someone with more than a pure scouting résumé - a candidate who has spent time on a coaching staff, worked on the salary cap side, or handled player personnel or college scouting duties.
He also likes the idea of a leadership council that gives the owner more voices before major decisions, even if the general manager still has the final say. And he wants that next GM to manage the compensatory pick formula “a lot better.”
Then there’s Adebawore, who Hicks views as a player the Colts simply cannot afford to lose. The defensive lineman is in the final year of his rookie deal, and Hicks didn’t hesitate when asked about his future.
“I do think it would be a mistake to let this guy walk,” Hicks said, adding that Adebawore has been the defense’s best player in the first half of the season and has, in a lot of ways, outplayed DeForest Buckner this year. Buckner has since been traded back to San Francisco.
Adebawore backed that up in the Colts’ 16-10 loss at Minnesota, where he finished with two sacks, a major run stop and drew a fourth-quarter holding penalty. With Indianapolis projected to have well over $100 million in cap room this offseason, Hicks said a new deal should be straightforward.
“It is going to be an easy re-sign, even if the price tag is going to look a bit high.”
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