Tag: Jim Irsay

Jim Irsay predicts Colts get multiple prime-time games in 2022

Jim Irsay is expecting multiple prime-time games in 2022.

If there’s anyone who might know more about the Indianapolis Colts schedule, it’s owner Jim Irsay.

With the 2022 regular-season schedule set to be released Thursday night at 8:00 p.m. ET, Irsay gave Colts fans a little bit of a hint leading up to the announcement.

On Wednesday night, Irsay tweeted that he predicts the Colts will have multiple prime-time games during the 2022 season.

This likely isn’t a blind prediction. The Colts made some big moves this offseason, bringing in some big names like Matt Ryan, Stephon Gilmore and Yannick Ngakoue.

The Colts haven’t been a team featured often in the spotlight, but there’s a chance they get more prime-time games than usual when the schedule is announced Thursday night.

Like Colts Wire on Facebook
Follow Colts Wire on Twitter
Follow Kevin on Twitter (@KevinHickey11)

[lawrence-related id=71890,71877,71867]

[listicle id=71858]

Jim Irsay hopes to get four years out of Matt Ryan

Jim Irsay isn’t hiding his excitement about Matt Ryan.

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Matt Ryan is signed on for at least two more seasons as the team’s starter, but owner Jim Irsay is hoping his stay will be longer than that.

In speaking with reporters during the 2022 NFL draft, Irsay said that he hopes Ryan will be around much longer than the recent run of quarterbacks, who have been one-and-done for the last four seasons since the retirement of Andrew Luck.

“We hope Matt can be here for four years, maybe,” Irsay said via Mike Wells of ESPN. “We certainly have our radar out for a young guy that can be the long-term future.”

Irsay’s love for Ryan is the polar opposite of how he spoke of Carson Wentz at this same time last year. With Ryan, he couldn’t be happier to have the veteran leading the team. With Wentz, it was more “we’ll go as far as he can take us.”

Irsay raved about Ryan, his leadership and what he can bring to the Colts offense beginning in 2022.

“I can’t say enough about Matt Ryan,” Irsay said. “There’s no way I can sit here and explain to you, unless you look at [general manager] Chris [Ballard] and [coach] Frank [Reich] and different people in this organization eyes and see the difference that goes on right now because of Matt Ryan being in this building. His professionalism, his stature still at 36 and coming in here and we really are fortunate.”

The Colts added some weapons for Ryan in the draft. They took athletic wide receiver Alec Pierce and arguably the most athletic tight end to ever come out of the draft in Jelani Woods. They also got him some protection in third-round pick Bernhard Raimann, who could be the starting left tackle come Week 1.

We’ll see how much longer Ryan will be wearing the horseshoe, but Irsay is hoping for it to be a much longer tenure than recent signal-callers.

Like Colts Wire on Facebook
Follow Colts Wire on Twitter
Follow Kevin on Twitter (@KevinHickey11)

[lawrence-related id=71711,71705,71703]

[listicle id=71697]

Commanders NEED to trade down in 2022 NFL draft

The Commanders should move down at every opportunity to add multiple picks in this year’s draft. Of course, you need a trade partner.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbykgy681k112p8 player_id=none image=https://washingtonfootballwire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

The Washington Commanders really need to trade down in the upcoming 2022 NFL draft.

When Washington wanted Carson Wentz so badly, was it necessary to relinquish a 2022 third-round draft pick, a 2023 third-round pick that is conditional and is most likely to become second-round pick? Was it also necessary, that the Commanders allowed Colts GM Chris Ballard to talk them into swapping down from the No. 42 overall selection Friday to the No. 47 selection? Even more, did Ballard also get his way, when Washington agreed to take on Wentz’s entire salary for the next three seasons?

Colts owner Jim Irsay had already laid down the gavel to Ballard and head coach Frank Reich that Irsay did not want Wentz back for 2022. Thus Ballard “HAD” to trade Wentz.

This means Washington does not presently own an opportunity to select a player in either the third or fifth rounds of this year’s draft. You recall in the 2021 NFL draft Washington sent this year’s fifth-round pick to the Eagles for a sixth-round pick (225) and a seventh-round pick (240). With those two picks, Washington selected Cameron Cheeseman and William-Bradley King.

In addition, Washington’s strongest position last year was defensive tackle. The team exhibited strength and depth with Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne, Matt Ioannidis and Tim Settle. However, they failed to sign Tim Settle, and he signed a two-year deal for only $9 million with Buffalo. Washington then released Ioannidis “after” losing Settle.

Was Washington actually negotiating with Settle, attempting to keep him? He signed quickly for a price Washington could have easily matched or bettered, had they released Ioannidis just days earlier.

Without a third-round and fifth-round pick, Washington still has two options. They have the No. 11 and No. 47 overall selections.  They desperately need to add a strong inside defensive tackle in this draft. They might also like to draft a quarterback as well to see how he develops in the next few seasons.

Consequently, Washington could trade down from No. 11 overall, still remain in the first round, and easily pick up an extra draft pick or two. They could also trade down from No. 47 adding a draft pick as well.

Yes, Washington landed an upgrade at quarterback in Wentz. And yes, they also still have the opportunity in front of them in this week’s draft to trade down and meet other roster needs that should be addressed.

Two things will need to be present: a team wanting badly enough to trade up and Washington wanting badly enough to trade down to obtain a few more draft picks.

 

What the signing of Stephon Gilmore means for Colts defense

Colts check a big need by signing CB Stephon Gilmore.

The Indianapolis Colts made a big splash in free agency Friday by signing former Defensive Player of the Year and five-time Pro Bowler, Stephon Gilmore.

Owner Jim Irsay talked about the team going “all-in” this offseason by signing big free agents and it seems Gilmore fulfills that promise. The signing gives Indy a No. 1 cornerback following the departures of Rock Ya-Sin and Xavier Rhodes.

By signing the All-Pro caliber cornerback, this also checks the position off the list as far as early draft needs. When pick No. 42 comes around, expect Chris Ballard to take the best wide receiver or offensive tackle available. There will still be plenty of value at that point in the second round but now drafting a corner is more of a depth issue than a necessary hole to fill. 

However, the signing of Gilmore does not mean the Colts are done addressing their defensive needs. Edge user and defensive tackle will also be positions of need as free agency wraps up and the draft comes around. The trade for Yannick Ngakoue certainly helps with that but does not mean the front office will not want to add some help upfront. 

The Gilmore signing propels the Colts’ defense and allows them to compete with the gauntlet of receivers on the schedule this year. To contain players like Davante Adams, Keenan Allen, Justin Jefferson and A.J. Brown, Indy needs all the help they can get.

It should be exciting to see the other key pieces this team will add throughout the rest of the offseason. 

[lawrence-related id=71011,71006,70966]

[listicle id=70941]

Colts owner Jim Irsay is sick of how Titans have ‘dominated’ AFC South over Indy

Colts owner Jim Irsay didn’t mince words about his team’s performance against the Titans the past few seasons.

The Tennessee Titans have had the Indianapolis Colts’ number over the last few years and Colts owner Jim Irsay is sick and tired of being sick and tired of losing to his team’s division rival.

Not only have the Titans won four of their last five meetings with the Colts, they’ve also notched a pair of division titles in each of the past two seasons, and Tennessee made a deep playoff run in 2019, also.

Meanwhile, Indy has missed the playoffs in two of the past three seasons and have had a revolving door of quarterbacks since Andrew Luck’s abrupt retirement prior to the 2019 season.

Tennessee’s recent dominance over Indianapolis is a far cry from how things used to be. From 2008-16, the Colts won an astounding 16 of 18 contests, including a stretch of 11 straight games.

While down at the owner’s meetings this week, Irsay made it quite clear that he’s sick of losing to the Titans and wants that to change, per Mike Chappell of FOX59.

“They kick our a** and they have been kicking our a**,’’ Irsay said. “We’ve got to get past that. I don’t hide from the facts that are our there competitively. I want to put them right in front of us . . . you have to know where your nemeses lie.

“It’s just completely unacceptable the way they’ve dominated the division over us. It just is. And I give (coach Mike) Vrabel a ton of credit. He’s done a great job. He’s a tough guy.

“We have to prove we can beat them and beat them when it most matters and consistently beat them.’’

Irsay also detailed how he called a meeting with coaches and scouts after the Colts dropped their 2021 Week 3 contest to the Titans, 25-16.

“I brought our whole coaching staff in and every scout that was in the building for a ‘come-to-Jesus meeting’ with me,’’ Irsay said Tuesday from the NFL owners meetings. “It was about Tennessee kicking our a** because that’s all they do is kick our a**,” Irsay admitted.

“It was ‘Do you like to be on a leash? Do you like to be subjugated, dominated? Do you like to keep getting your a** kicked?’’

The meeting didn’t change anything, though, as the Titans went on to beat the Colts again in Week 8, 34-31, in overtime. Of course, Tennessee ultimately won the division while Indianapolis choked in the final two games of the campaign, ending their season without a playoff berth.

The Colts have upgraded their quarterback position this offseason, moving on from Carson Wentz in favor of Matt Ryan, who was acquired in a deal with the Atlanta Falcons.

However, until the Colts prove they can beat the Titans and overtake them for the AFC South throne, doubts will remain — even in Irsay’s mind — about their ability to do so.

[lawrence-related id=86344,86331,86321]

[listicle id=86132]

Colts’ Jim Irsay discusses frustration with losing to league’s ‘worst team’ in Jaguars

Colts owner Jim Irsay is still upset that his team lost to the league’s ‘worst team’ in the Jags to be kept out of the playoffs.

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay is understandably still upset after the Jacksonville Jaguars beat his franchise 26-11 and kept them from making the NFL playoffs. The Colts entered Week 18 only needing to win to clinch a playoff berth.

Irsay met with reporters at the NFL owners meeting in Florida on Tuesday and shared his frustrations about losing to the Jaguars in the season finale. He said the Colts’ no-show in Week 18 was the most appalling performance he’s ever seen and signaled that major changes were needed in the offseason.

“No disrespect to Jacksonville, but I mean, they’re the worst team in the league,” Irsay said, according to NBC Sports. “You play well and hard for the first quarter or so, and they’re looking to go to their locker room and clean it out. I’ve never seen anything like that in my life. You say, ‘My God, there’s something wrong here. It needs to be corrected.’ I think that we feel like we did.”

One of the first moves he made was sending former quarterback Carson Wentz to the Washington Commanders and then trading for Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan.

Irsay’s frustration is fathomable, but it’s also worth mentioning that the Colts haven’t won a game in Jacksonville since 2014. Maybe the addition of Ryan will help Indianapolis break its losing streak in Duval County, but then again, the Jags have made some notable improvements that could keep it going.

Jim Irsay: ‘It was very obvious’ Colts had to move on from Carson Wentz

Jim Irsay said it became ‘very obvious’ the Colts had to move on from Carson Wentz.

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay made it clear this week that the team was going to move on from quarterback Carson Wentz one way or another this offseason.

Despite a slow start to the regular season, the Colts climbed out of a 1-4 hole and seemed primed for a playoff spot. The final month of the season, though, showed what a team looks like when it tries to win in spite of its quarterback.

By the time it was all said and done, the epic collapse had taken place. The Colts missed out on the playoffs because they couldn’t beat the team holding the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft.

Irsay told the media at the NFL owners’ meetings in Palm Beach that a move had to be made when it came to Wentz.

“I wish Carson well, I think he has a chance to go into a different environment and play great in Washington,” Irsay said via Zak Keefer of The Athletic. “It’s just, for us, it was something we had to move away from as a franchise. It was very obvious.”

The Colts saw an improvement in Wentz’s game relative to his 2020 campaign. But it wasn’t enough. His erratic accuracy, inability to make the short throws and a hero complex kept the Colts offense from sustaining any stability.

It all came to a boiling point during the final game of the season when the Colts went into Jacksonville only to leave with an embarrassing 26-11 loss.

After the season, Irsay met with a handful of Colts’ veterans and according to Keefer, those conversations confirmed the notion that moving on from Wentz was the necessary decision.

What Irsay gleaned from the conversations he had with some veteran players, he said, “was very concerning.”

His conclusion, in his words: “Oh my God, there’s something wrong here … and it needs to be corrected.”

Irsay also wanted to make it clear that they don’t view Wentz as the scapegoat for the collapse at the end of the season.

“Carson is not the scapegoat,” Irsay said. “It simply didn’t work out for us and what we are trying to accomplish. I mean, he’s a good man, a good father and a guy who put a lot of effort into the year and worked really hard and wanted to have success. It just didn’t work out. And sometimes you feel like you have to move on because you can’t always persuade people to do things differently if they don’t want to do them differently.”

The Colts eventually moved on from Wentz despite not having a plan following the trade. They got pretty lucky that Matt Ryan became available after they sent Wentz to Washington.

Compared to where they were after the Wentz trade to Washington, Irsay is certainly relieved.

“Time will tell, but I really feel good about things,” Irsay said. “Extremely grateful to the football gods, so to speak, on where we were compared to where we are, you know, and I don’t underestimate that. You’re always greedy looking to complete the puzzle perfectly.”

The move for Ryan should be a better fit than Wentz was both in the locker room and in Frank Reich’s offense. Those two factors alone should be enough to keep the Colts from suffering through another epic collapse in the future.

Like Colts Wire on Facebook
Follow Colts Wire on Twitter
Follow Kevin on Twitter (@KevinHickey11)

[lawrence-related id=70670,70668,70666]

[listicle id=70617]

Colts’ owner Jim Irsay: ‘It was very obvious’ Colts had to move on from Wentz

It’s clear moving on from Carson Wentz was Jim Irsay’s decision — not Frank Reich or Chris Ballard’s.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbykgy681k112p8 player_id=none image=https://washingtonfootballwire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay spoke to the media Tuesday at the NFL owner’s meetings and discussed his former quarterback — and the current Washington Commanders quarterback — Carson Wentz.

Irsay spoke of his disappointment in Indianapolis missing the playoffs after a horrible and embarrassing blowout loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Wentz was terrible in that game, something he acknowledged when he was introduced as Washington’s quarterback earlier this month.

Irsay was frustrated multiple times during the 2021 season, with the Colts’ slow start and miserable finish. That frustration led him to one conclusion: Carson Wentz’s stint with the Colts would last only one season and that was not negotiable.

“I wish Carson well, I think he has a chance to go into a different environment and play great in Washington,” Irsay said per Zak Keefer of The Athletic. “It’s just, for us, it was something we had to move away from as a franchise. It was very obvious.”

He later clarified his remarks on Wentz.

“Carson is not the scapegoat,” Irsay said. “It simply didn’t work out for us and what we are trying to accomplish. I mean, he’s a good man, a good father and a guy who put a lot of effort into the year and worked really hard and wanted to have success. It just didn’t work out.”

It seems like Irsay is speaking out of both sides of his mouth. “It was very obvious” Wentz had to go, but he wasn’t the scapegoat? The Colts had more problems than Wentz in 2021. We’ve heard more than a whisper this offseason that the owner wasn’t a fan of Wentz because of his choice to not receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

Now, was Wentz great in 2021? Absolutely not. But all the praise Colts head coach Frank Reich has heaped on Wentz is authentic. It likely wasn’t Reich or GM Chris Ballard’s decision to move on from Wentz after only one season.

If you listen to Reich and Ballard talk about Wentz, then Irsay, you have no doubt where the decision came from. The owner even admitted that the Colts would have likely cut Wentz even if it did cost the team the $15 million Wentz was guaranteed for 2022.

As the old saying goes, “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”

We shall see if the Commanders have better luck with Wentz in 2022. He’s certainly wanted in Washington, something that wasn’t the case in Indianapolis — at least from ownership.

Colts explored potentially massive trade for young QB

According to Jim Irsay, the Colts explored trading ‘at least two ones’ for a young QB earlier in the offseason.

The Indianapolis Colts traded away quarterback Carson Wentz without a real plan to replace him and even though they eventually got an upgrade in Matt Ryan, the team explored a potential trade for a young quarterback who would have cost the team two first-round picks.

Exploring a trade for a new quarterback after shipping off Wentz isn’t newsworthy. We know the Colts were in just about every market where there was an available option.

What is newsworthy is the fact that owner Jim Irsay told the media Tuesday at the NFL owners’ meetings in Palm Beach that the team explored a trade that involved giving up a lot of draft capital.

That suggests this player is likely near the top of the position or is ascending to that tier.

“It would have been a trade scenario for a younger guy,” Irsay said Tuesday via Joel A. Erickson of The Indianapolis Star. “At least two ones, probably.”

Irsay wouldn’t divulge who that player was, which comes as no surprise. He said, in the end, the quarterback wound up not really being available. But that potential cost in draft picks suggests that’s a big name at the quarterback position.

“You know we looked at a young guy or two, it was probably one, but really, in the end, he wasn’t available, after all was said and done,” Irsay said. “For a number of other things happening, reasons, it would have had to been something else happening to make him available.”

The Colts wound up in a better situation with the aforementioned Ryan than they were with Wentz. The former is simply a better fit for Frank Reich’s offense even if it means bringing on a 36-year-old veteran near the end of his career.

Now, the Colts have to build around Ryan to ensure his successful transition while also keeping an eye on any potential successors that might come available in the draft over the next two offseasons.

Like Colts Wire on Facebook
Follow Colts Wire on Twitter
Follow Kevin on Twitter (@KevinHickey11)

[lawrence-related id=70655,70653,70645]

[listicle id=70617]

Longtime Colts insider says Carson Wentz trade was ‘owner-driven’

Longtime Colts insider Mike Chappell dropped some good information on Carson Wentz’s one season in Indianapolis on the “Al Galdi Podcast.”

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbykgy681k112p8 player_id=none image=https://washingtonfootballwire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Hey, Commanders fans, a wise man hears both sides of a matter.

This wise saying was proven true again Wednesday when Colts insider Mike Chappell of FOX59/CBS4 Sports in Indianapolis was a guest on the “Al Galdi Podcast.” Chappell has covered the Colts since 1984 and certainly dropped some good information Wednesday.

MC: “Wentz was not the only reason this team imploded at all. If the defense makes one stop in the second half against Baltimore, just one stop and stop a two-point conversion, they are in the playoffs.”

MC: “He played awful the last two games.. and GM Chris Ballard has mentioned how Wentz did not make the layups he often could have made. Too often there were plays that could have been made and too often he did not make the layups.”

“They thought they could fix him from what was wrong his last year in Philly and it didn’t work. The caution I would give for Washington is it didn’t work with Frank Reich with whom Wentz had his best years in Philly.”

“This was owner-driven…for him to drive this is unusual it really is…For them to move on from Wentz after only one year, told me volumes of at least what the owner wanted to do. He wanted to have anyone but Carson Wentz as his quarterback.”

“Irsay called in Ballard and Reich the night of the Jacksonville (season finale loss) game. He never does that. In his mind (Irsay) this had to be done. I am guessing Frank Reich didn’t go to that meeting expecting to be told that they were done with Wentz.”

“At the end of the day we are going to get a united front (of Irsay, Ballard, Reich) but this was one of those rare times the owner stepped in and said, ‘This is what we are doing’…They were just done with him. If you don’t trust your quarterback, what do you have? Enough people with votes didn’t trust him.”

“Jeff George (former Colt and briefly Washington QB) had one of the greatest arms I’ve ever seen, but he just didn’t have the ‘it factor.’ They just didn’t think Carson Wentz had the it factor. But having said that I know there have been a couple of players come out in support of Wentz like Jonathan Taylor (running back).”

“I tell you, something we will never hear for a lot of reasons, his not being vaccinated, bothered the owner…A problem they had was a lot of the team leaders were not vaccinated. Darius Leonard, Braden Smith, Quenton Nelson, Ryan Kelly and these were the leaders…Maybe the owner thought, “If my quarterback had been more of a leader and gotten vaccinated and done this with the team, maybe…”

“I am convinced on some level the fact that so many players tested positive late and the way they faded, I believe the two are connected.”