Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay never had a track record for being meddlesome before this past year. Sure, he was outspoken, but the man didn’t go out of his way to directly impact things. It’s amazing how fast things have changed. He called on the NFL to push Washington Commanders owner Daniel Snyder out of the league. He fired head coach Frank Reich in the middle of the season and replaced him with Jeff Saturday, a former Pro Bowl center who had never coached beyond the high school level prior to his hiring. Now Irsay is throwing the 2023 draft cycle into complete chaos.
It started when the Colts introduced their new head coach Shane Steichen. When asked why the team ended up going with him, Irsay admitted his ability to develop a young quarterback was a major selling point. If that weren’t clear enough, he openly stated he likes the kid “from Alabama” as a possible draft target. A clear reference to Bryce Young. Insider Benjamin Allbright revealed that was Irsay’s not-so-subtle way of enticing another team to trade up for Young so the quarterback he actually wants could fall.
Barely a day later, the Colts owner doubled down.
Nobody can say Jim Irsay doesn’t try hard.
I mean, come on. The guy couldn’t be more obvious if he tried. He knows the prevailing rumors out there are that the Colts are the heavy favorite to trade up to #1 overall for their QB of choice. They don’t want their division rival Houston Texans to get the guy they want. What better way to sabotage them than by getting another team that may covet Young to trade up by making them fear Indianapolis will instead? The problem is these other GMs get paid lots of money too. They do this for a living. There is no way a blatant tactic like this is likely to change their plans.
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Say this for Jim Irsay. He’s entertaining. The NFL is never more fun than when an owner goes rogue. Al Davis became famous for it during his later years when running the Oakland Raiders. Hell, Jim’s own father, Bob Irsay, did the exact same thing in the 1980s. The Chicago Bears don’t really have to do anything different. They can let this chaos unfold. The more confusion it creates, the better their chances are of somebody panicking and making a lucrative offer for the #1 pick.
@mike Ryan Pace would likely have given up picks to trade away the #1 pick.
Jim Irsay is a Glizzy Gobbler
Omg caw caw…we need the Magpie to help Poles otherwise he will be outwitted. Please, please call Halas hall Magpie…caw caw
chris ballard facepalming hard somewhere
@mike, agreed. In fact, Pace probably would have reached out to him by now to ask HIM what would he be willing to give up for the #1 pick.