Tag: Jim Irsay

Colts owner Jim Irsay said the quiet part out loud about Lamar Jackson’s contract situation

This was probably supposed to be a secret!

Lamar Jackson’s latest news of a trade request from a month ago dropped like an anvil on the NFL world.

Not only did it put Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh in an impossible spot, it re-prompted questions about which NFL teams should actually trade for the star quarterback.

One of those squads should, theoretically, be the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts don’t have a quarterback of the future and missed out on a trade for the No. 1 overall pick. You’d think owner Jim Irsay would be all over a 26-year-old former MVP. And he seems to be … just so long as he doesn’t hand out a fully-guaranteed contract.

Wait, did he say that out loud? Yes, yes, he did … right to The Athletic’s Zak Keefer.

After various teams immediately bowed out of the Lamar Jackson sweepstakes once he received a non-exclusive franchise tag, speculation ran rampant that some NFL owners did not want to establish this fully-guaranteed precedent.

While we still have tons of names who haven’t confirmed it, Irsay seemed so outrageously comfortable giving the game away here. Another development in the Jackson saga, and it surely won’t be the last.

Colts sign DT Taven Bryan: How Twitter reacted

Here’s how Twitter reacted to the Colts signing DT Taven Bryan.

The Indianapolis Colts agreed to a one-year deal with former Browns and Jaguars defensive tackle Taven Bryan on Wednesday.

The Colts need to get better in the trenches. Owner Jim Irsay and general manager Chris Ballard know that. Behind All-Pro defensive tackle DeForest Buckner and defensive tackle Grover Stewart, the production has been sorely lacking.

Chris Williams and Eric Johnson had just six tackles last season, and with no sacks coming from the duo, help is needed.

A first-round selection in the 2018 draft, Bryan hasn’t lived up to the hype. However, given the deal the team gave him, Ballard sees how Bryan can be valuable and wants to provide some extra depth to the defensive line.

Here’s how Twitter reacted to the Colts signing Bryan:

Cowboys – Colts trade grades: Who won the deal for Stephon Gilmore?

Who won this deal between Dallas and Indianapolis? Let’s dive in.

As the second day of NFL free agency started to wind down, the Cowboys pulled off an underrated trade.

After a resurgent season with the Indianapolis Colts, cornerback Stephon Gilmore is headed off to the Dallas Cowboys. He’ll join forces with one of the best defenses in football.

How will Gilmore fit in among a constellation of stars in Dallas? Where do the rebuilding Colts — who still don’t have a plan for a quarterback — go from here? And, I guess: How do Micah Parsons and Dan Quinn probably feel?

Let’s examine the deeper nuances of this Gilmore trade for both the Cowboys and Colts.

Why the Colts are the biggest losers of the Bears-Panthers No. 1 pick trade by far

By standing put with no trade, the Colts are in the worst possible position.

In the aftermath of the Chicago Bears and Carolina Panthers’ blockbuster trade for the No. 1 overall pick, it’ll take time to assess the damage for most of the NFL.

But, as the Panthers ready themselves for a young quarterback prospect of their choice, and the Bears get set to contend with Justin Fields, another team’s loss is already clear: the Indianapolis Colts.

Ever since Andrew Luck retired, the Colts have treaded water at quarterback. They’ve started different parts of over-the-hill (and never-had-it) signal-callers like Phillip Rivers, Carson Wentz, and Matt Ryan. Former head coach Frank Reich was fired in large part due to their perennial failures at the position.

Now, after a 4-12-1, bottom-out campaign, the Colts will very likely not have their pick of the litter under center. The team with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft (just behind the fortunate Arizona Cardinals) is taking it a rather drastic step further.

For some reason, the Colts are apparently still going to be picky about selecting a potential face of the franchise. Uh, I wouldn’t advise that risky path, folks!

There’s a massive chasm between thinking there’s no generational QB prospect and addressing QB properly. Because a team like the Colts, as they have recently, could “address” QB by signing someone such as Jimmy Garoppolo. And is that really solving a problem?

We’re just about six weeks from the draft, and GM Chris Ballard already finds himself in an unenviable quarterback bind. Something tells me that owner Jim Irsay won’t be so patient with the position or Ballard for much longer.

Wink Martindale happy to be back with Giants

Wink Martindale is happy to be back with the New York Giants and explains why things didn’t work out with the Indianapolis Colts.

New York Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale has never been shy about his desire to land a head coaching job. It’s an opportunity he’s waited for and one that nearly came to fruition this offseason.

Martindale interviewed with the Indianapolis Colts and was a finalist for the position. However, owner Jim Irsay eventually opted to hire Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen instead.

But was Steichen hired over Martindale? Not necessarily.

“I do know I was a leading candidate, but there were some things they wanted to do that I didn’t want to do,” Martindale told NJ Advance Media.

Martindale refused to elaborate on what those differences were but expressed appreciation for the process. Ultimately, he’s happy being back with the Giants.

“This is a prime destination right here in New York,” Martindale said. “I’m not saying I’m not going to go interview (for another head-coaching job) because that’s how you grow as a person. You have to go talk to people. I’m glad that I did it. I think there is some negativity out there with Jim Irsay that snowballs a little bit and it’s not like the perception. The best way I can describe it is that he’s a very fascinating guy. We talked for four hours and he did a lot of the talking.”

Martindale, who will turn 60 in May, doesn’t believe the Colts represented his final coaching opportunity. He views himself as a “winner” and has faith that things will eventually fall into place.

And if they don’t? He’s perfectly happy remaining with the Giants until the day he retires to Florida and starts a podcast.

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Did Jim Irsay spill Colts draft plans with Bryce Young reference?

Colts owner Jim Irsay made plenty of headlines in his reference to Alabama QB Bryce Young.

During the press conference introducing Shane Steichen as the new head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, owner Jim Irsay had an interesting quote referencing one of the top quarterback prospects of the 2023 NFL draft class in Alabama’s Bryce Young.

Since general manager Chris Ballard took over in 2017, he’s been keen on keeping information close to the vest, especially when it comes to draft prospects.

But after Irsay talked about potentially moving up for a quarterback in the draft—and Ballard jokingly suggested they move back—the owner of the Colts referenced Young as an intriguing prospect.

Here’s how the exchange went down:

Irsay: “…no one can shy away from the fact (of) what a quarterback means in this league and how we have to look going forward where Shane and Chris really dig into this draft and really see where you’re at. Do you stay put? Do you trade up? There are many things you can do. [Eagles] took Jalen (Hurts) in the second round.”

Ballard: “Trade back. That will be a Twitter freaking quote.”

Irsay: “[Ballard] likes picks, although the Alabama guy doesn’t look bad, I tell you.”

Considering the fact that the Colts are in the market for a young quarterback, anyone can and should suggest the team will have some level of interest in Young. He’s an electric prospect who checks all of the boxes (outside of size). So yes, the Colts could very well target Young.

But we also have to consider the likelihood that the Colts themselves don’t even know who they want to draft yet. While the scouting department has been grinding away, Ballard and others in the front office have been busy with a head coaching search that lasted over a month.

On top of that, they haven’t had the chance to meet with these prospects yet, which mostly will happen at the NFL combine, during pro days and holding top-30 visits. The big board for the Colts is just now being put together and won’t be finalized until the middle of April at the earliest.

Maybe Irsay was referencing Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson Jr., who is considered one of the top overall prospects in the class. Okay, maybe we shouldn’t go that far because the Colts must draft a quarterback.

Maybe Irsay gave a smokescreen. Maybe it was just a bit of a tongue-in-cheek quote.

Young is a strong and electric prospect. He very well may be the consensus top quarterback despite the size concerns. The Colts could come out of the pre-draft process with Young as the prospect they want.

But it’s far too early to suggest the Colts know exactly who they want when they just hired a new head coach this week and haven’t had the chance to meet with these prospects face-to-face.

So no, it’s unlikely Irsay spilled the beans on the team’s draft plans.

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Indianapolis Colts owner hints at preferring Bryce Young in 2023 NFL draft

Did the Colts owner just leak that he prefers Bryce Young as QB1 of the 2023 NFL draft?

Star Alabama quarterback Bryce Young is expected to be the first quarterback off the board and might be the first overall selection in the upcoming 2023 NFL draft.

Currently, the Chicago Bears hold the first pick, but the franchise is not likely to pick a quarterback. Instead, the Bears are expected to take a player that can contribute to the defensive front, like Will Anderson Jr., the former Crimson Tide standout EDGE.

Behind Chicago sits a couple of teams in need of a franchise quarterback. The Houston Texans have the No. 2 pick and the Indianapolis Colts hold the No. 4 pick. Both teams may try to make a trade with the Bears to take over the No. 1 overall pick and take a quarterback of the franchise’s choosing.

The Colts recently held a press conference to announce the hiring of new head coach Shane Steichen. Jim Irsay, the owner of the franchise, had an interesting quote that may have tipped the Colts’ hand as the draft gets closer.

“The Alabama guy doesn’t look bad, I’ll tell ya.”

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Bryce Young and other former Alabama players preparing for the 2023 NFL draft as the offseason continues.

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Jim Irsay might’ve accidentally spoiled the Colts’ first-round draft plans two months early

Wait, did Jim Irsay just spoil what the Colts are going to do in the draft??

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay has had himself a very interesting past few months.

After firing Frank Reich only to hire Jeff Saturday in one of the most bizarre coaching sagas in NFL history, Irsay might’ve spilled the beans on what the Colts are thinking about doing with the fourth-overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

It wasn’t enough for the Colts to make a perfectly normal hire in Shane Steichen as their new head coach. No, Irsay had to make things frisky again by potentially spoiling that a young quarterback could be coming to town this spring.

Let’s just say Indy general manager Chris Ballard was a bit shocked by Irsay’s candor. Irsay went as far as to hint at which quarterback he might actually want to draft in April.

With the Chicago Bears holding the first-overall draft pick, it seems like the Colts might be the team to watch to trade up for Alabama quarterback Bryce Young.

Our source on that seems pretty enamored with Young’s talent, and he’s got a lot of sway in the Colts organization. Heck, he owns the team.

Did Irsay really just reveal what the Colts are going to do in the draft? Time will tell, but with the way things have gone in Indy recently, it’s very possible he just did.

Robert Griffin III accidentally roasted Jeff Saturday’s time with Colts while discussing his potential return to ESPN

Robert Griffin III accidentally ROASTED Jeff Saturday.

Former NFL quarterback turned ESPN commentator Robert Griffin III accidentally burned one of his old (and maybe soon-to-be) co-workers.

While discussing the Indianapolis Colts hiring Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen as their new head coach, Griffin mentioned former interim Colts coach Jeff Saturday potentially heading back to ESPN.

While it’s not necessarily what Griffin said, his quippy delivery of the line “guess we’re getting Jeff Saturday back” after talking about the Eagles and Colts once again sharing coaches made himself and his fellow ESPN analyst Booger McFarland laugh.

You can see the video in full from Awful Announcing below.

For context, Griffin actually wasn’t a fan of the way Saturday got hired in Indy, even if he was happy for Saturday the person and tried to find positive in the move.

To be honest, it is a little hilarious that Saturday could be going from his bizarre interim stint with Indy to his old gig at ESPN.

Colts owner Jim Irsay turned a lot of heads when he made that befuddling coaching change for Saturday last fall, but it was ultimately all for naught with Steichen’s hiring. At least Saturday has his previous job to fall back on.

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Colts’ Jim Irsay letting Chris Ballard pick new head coach?

ESPN’s Dan Graziano stated Colts owner Jim Irsay is letting GM Chris Ballard choose the new head coach.

Throughout the early part of the offseason, the biggest storyline surrounding the Indianapolis Colts has been the search for a new head coach and the involvement of owner Jim Irsay in that process.

General manager Chris Ballard has been there every step of the way, starting with the virtual interviews and conducting long, in-person interviews—up to 12 hours in some cases—during the second round of meetings.

While it has been maintained that Irsay holds the final decision since Ballard said so during his year-end press conference, ESPN’s Dan Graziano reported Saturday morning that the final decision is now in the hands of Ballard.

“Interim coach Jeff Saturday still hasn’t been eliminated, per sources, though team owner Jim Irsay (who’s believed to be Saturday’s biggest backer in the building) has let it be known that GM Chris Ballard is the one making the final decision on a head coach.”

This would be a change in tune from what we’ve known of the process since it began in the middle of January. The initial idea was that Ballard would lead the search with a wide variety of candidates, and Irsay would make the final decision.

Irsay has been far more involved with the search during the second round of interviews. It’s been reported that part of the process has included one-on-one time with each candidate for multiple hours.

Maybe Irsay has gotten to the point where he feels strongly about the remaining candidates and is trusting Ballard to make the decision. It’s difficult to know for sure considering how tight-lipped the organization has been since the start of the search.

However, if Ballard truly is the one making the final decision on the new head coach, that changes things slightly in terms of who the favorites will be.

For instance, it’s likely that Ballard wouldn’t hire Jeff Saturday and likely would lean closer to Shane Steichen or Raheem Morris.

Regardless, we should know the decision shortly after the conclusion of Super Bowl LVII, and we can finally move forward from the month-long search for a new head coach.

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