Kansas City Chiefs: Chris Ballard Being Pursued By Colts
By Ben Almquist
Kansas City Chiefs Director of Player Personnel Chris Ballard is highly regarded, and now the Colts want to interview him for their General Manager spot.
Over the past several years, the Kansas City Chiefs front office has been among the best in the NFL. A major reason for that is the highly regarded Director of Player Personnel, Chris Ballard. The up and coming personnel man has been sought after by a number of teams over the past few years. Now, the Indianapolis Colts are coming after him.
It’s not an unexpected situation for the Chiefs as several teams have looked into Chris Ballard. However, over the past couple of years Kansas City has taken efforts to prevent Ballard from interviewing with other teams. That includes earlier this year with the San Francisco 49ers.
At the same time, there have been rumors circulating that current Chiefs General Manager John Dorsey is in line to take over for Green Bay GM Ted Thompson soon. The combination of this rumor and the Chiefs actions would indicate that Kansas City is preparing for the departure of John Dorsey by lining up Chris Ballard to replace him.
Add another GM candidate for the #Colts. They've requested an interview with #Chiefs executive Chris Ballard, per sources.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 24, 2017
A situation like that is not unheard of. In Baltimore, the Ravens have held onto top personnel man Eric DeCosta with the promise that he will succeed current GM Ozzie Newsome. That has worked so well that teams have stopped pursuing DeCosta. The Chiefs could be doing the same thing.
More from Kansas City Chiefs
- How to Bet on the Chiefs vs. Cardinals in NFL Preseason Week 2
- The 3 Most Intriguing Games on the Chiefs’ Schedule
- DraftKings + FanDuel Kansas Promos: INSTANT $150 Bonus Plus Two Chances to Win!
- Fan-Favorite Locks Up Chiefs Roster Spot With Stellar Preseason Performance
- DraftKings NFL Kansas Promo: Bet $5 on Chiefs vs. Saints, Win $150 Bonus!
On the other side, this could simply be a matter of Chris Ballard not wanting to go to any of the teams currently looking. If that is the case, then a situation like that in Indy could be attractive with Andrew Luck at the helm.
Ultimately, I think we will learn a lot about the Chiefs future plans based on how this scenario plays out. If Chris Ballard does not pursue the Colts job, then I think it is a lock that he is staying with Kansas City. That, unfortunately, would likely also mean that John Dorsey is a lock for the Packers job.
Next: Kansas City Chiefs: Major Shakeup Could Come To Front Office
This is the situation that many successful teams face. Ultimately, if you are doing well then other teams want to get a part of your success however they can. The top assistant coaches and personnel men are always going to get poached. It’s just the nature of the beast.