The Colts’ rough 0-2 start has already put them in an uncomfortable spot, but the real nightmare scenario might not be this season’s record. It could be what happens if the losses pile up enough to push Indianapolis toward the top of the 2027 draft board - only to find out the pick no longer belongs to them.
That’s the cost of the trade that sent a first-rounder to the New York Jets for Sauce Gardner when the Colts were riding a 7-2 start last season. Since then, things have gone sideways for both teams in different ways.
Indianapolis has won just one game, Gardner has been solid without being a game-changer, and the Jets have gotten a huge return from Adonai Mitchell, who has been awesome in New York. On top of that, the Jets now hold Indy’s first-round pick.
That’s where the pain really comes in. If the Colts end up bad enough to be in the Arch Manning conversation, they still wouldn’t be able to use that selection. For a franchise that has had a hard time locking down a long-term quarterback since Andrew Luck suddenly retired weeks before the 2019 season, that would be a brutal twist.
Before Luck, the Colts had the kind of quarterback luck most teams only dream about. Manning started for them for 13 years, and then Luck arrived with the top pick in 2012. Since Luck walked away, though, the search for stability has gone on, and the idea of landing a potential franchise quarterback in a bad season would normally be the silver lining.
That’s what makes the Arch Manning scenario sting so much. Arch, Peyton Manning’s nephew, ending up with the Jets because of a trade that didn’t work out would be the kind of gut punch Colts fans would never forget.
Still, there’s a decent chance the whole thing stays hypothetical. The Colts are 0-2, but the losses came against a good Ravens team in Week 1 and in a close one against the Chiefs in Week 2. That doesn’t look like a team headed for the NFL basement.
Whether the Colts win enough to keep Chris Ballard and/or Shane Steichen in place is another question. But the specific worst-case outcome - watching the Jets potentially benefit from a failed trade while Indianapolis misses out on Arch Manning - feels like something Colts fans probably don’t need to lose sleep over just yet.
In Other News...
Colts Fans Are Split Over Carlie Irsay-Gordons Growing Game Day Role
Carlie Irsay-Gordon has made her game day routine part of the conversation in Indianapolis, often standing on the sideline and taking notes as she works to better understand how the Colts operate. She has spoken publicly about wanting to learn more about football operations since taking over the team, and her hands-on approach has become one of the more visible signs of her ownership.
Not everyone sees it the same way. Some fans and commentators have questioned whether her presence on the sideline is a distraction, while others say the reaction says as much about gender bias as it does about football. The divide has turned a routine part of game day into a larger debate over how owners are expected to act, and who gets the benefit of the doubt when they show up in plain view. [Read more 🡒]
Colts Suddenly Have A Growing Problem In The Secondary
The Colts went into the season expecting Justin Walley to help stabilize the slot after moving on from Kenny Moore II, but the early returns have been rough. Through two games, Walley has had trouble holding up inside, and the Colts have paid for it with too many completions, too many yards and touchdowns allowed in the area they most need to protect.
Indianapolis is now in the uncomfortable spot of having to sort through alternatives on the fly, with a rotation at the position suddenly looking like a real possibility. For a defense already trying to find its footing, the question is no longer just whether Walley can settle in, but how quickly the Colts can identify a better answer in the middle of the secondary. [Read more 🡒]
Colts 0-2 Start Is Putting The Wrong Unit Under Pressure
The Colts may have found a little rhythm on offense in their second game, but the early-season alarm bells are still ringing in Indianapolis. A 0-2 start always invites scrutiny, and this one has the attention shifting away from the side of the ball that looked better and toward a defense that has not done enough to steady the team.
Shane Steichens group is already hearing the kind of questions that come with an uneven opening stretch, and the pressure is creeping beyond the scoreboard. With the coaching staff and front office both part of the conversation this early, the next stretch feels important not just for the record but for the broader direction of the franchise. [Read more 🡒]