Jim Irsay has something to say about his former defensive coordinator, Gus Bradley.
The Indianapolis Colts fired defensive coordinator Gus Bradley after three seasons with the team and several lackluster years.
While Bradley’s 2024 season was unimpressive, with the defense allowing numerous yards, missed tackles, and completions, the veteran coordinator remained a real leader and mentor to the Colts players. Team owner Jim Irsay sent a heartfelt message to the former coach.
Bradley’s defense concluded the season ranked 29th in total yards per game (361.2), 26th in passing (229.4), and 24th in rushing (131.8). While these aren’t flashy figures, the Colts did have some nice moments, tying for ninth in the NFL in defensive takeaways (25).
Bradley’s defense this season brought a nice haul of interceptions from Kenny Moore II (three), Nick Cross (three), Julian Blackmon (three), Jaylon Jones (two), and Samuel Womack III (two), so it wasn’t all bad from Indy’s secondary and stop troops.
The Colts will want a reenergized drive from their next defensive coordinator. Bradley was seasoned, tenured, and had previously achieved success with teams such as the Seattle Seahawks, but those days are long gone. 2024 demonstrated that Bradley’s scheme, at least for the Colts, is out of date and easy for offenses to exploit.
Bradley’s veteran leadership will be missed in Indy’s locker room, but the Colts need results defensively in 2025, which is why this move to part ways was necessary. Players like defensive tackle DeForest Buckner (30), cornerback Moore II (29), and linebacker Zaire Franklin (28) aren’t getting any younger and need to maximize their primes while they can.
Gus Bradley’s scheme and innovation is a harder sell these days. It’s totally fine to move on.
But the Colts will be fooling themselves if they think that’s a magic fix.
DeForest Buckner laid it out today: They need free agents, competition, real depth.
Or they can stay mid.
— Nate Atkins (@NateAtkins_) January 7, 2025
We’ll see who the Colts choose next to coach their defensive side of the ball. There are lots of applicants who match the mold, but Irsay, Chris Ballard, and head coach Shane Steichen must be cautious about their next hire to avoid the issues we’ve seen with Bradley over the last three years.
