WESTFIELD, Ind. - Carlie Irsay-Gordon isn’t backing off her message. The Colts’ owner and CEO says the organization has the pieces to make real progress in 2026, and she’s making it clear that belief comes with pressure attached.
After training camp practice Friday at Grand Park Sports Campus, Irsay-Gordon reiterated what she has been saying throughout the offseason: Indianapolis has enough on hand to get the job done. That confidence, though, is paired with a blunt standard for general manager Chris Ballard and head coach Shane Steichen.
"We have been very clear with Chris and Shane that giving them another opportunity means that the sense of urgency for them to deliver and perform has never been higher," Irsay-Gordon said.
She expanded on that point Friday, saying she believes the roster and the organization are built to take a step forward.
"I know and believe that on our roster and in our organization we have everything we need this year to get where we need to go," Irsay-Gordon said.
The Colts are asking a lot of Ballard and Steichen. Ballard is 70-78-1 as general manager and has reached the playoffs twice. Steichen is 25-26 and still hasn’t gotten Indianapolis into the postseason.
For Irsay-Gordon, the reason for optimism starts with continuity, especially at quarterback. The Colts spent the offseason keeping Daniel Jones in place after re-signing him to a two-year, $88 million deal. Jones’ season ended with an Achilles injury in Week 14, but the Colts believe his absence exposed just how important he is to the offense.
"One of the first things that comes to mind, to me, is... consistency," she said. "I think when you don't have the quarterback position, as an example, that's the leader of our team.
I think it's going into the second year (with) Daniel (Jones), seeing what we saw that first half - that's such a key thing. It's key for coaches the way we build our scheme.
It's key for Chris the way we build our roster and fill in the pieces. That's kind of one example, but I think we have everything we need to get where we need to go."
That faith in Jones comes after a brutal finish to 2025. The Colts dropped their final seven games, and once Jones went down, the alternatives were sixth-round rookie Riley Leonard and retired 43-year-old Philip Rivers, who had not played since the 2020 season.
Indianapolis also invested heavily in wide receiver Alec Pierce, giving him the most lucrative free-agent deal ever for a wide receiver: four years and $114 million. Pierce led the NFL in yards per reception in each of the last two seasons and posted his first 1,000-yard campaign last year, though he had never finished higher than third on the team in targets. Now he’s expected to be the top receiver.
The defense, meanwhile, is built on the idea that better health can unlock a group the Colts still believe in. Cornerback Charvarius Ward Sr., a prized free-agent signing, played only seven games in 2025 because of three concussions. The Colts then traded for Sauce Gardner at the deadline, but a calf injury limited him to just two full games, and the two corners appeared together in only one full game.
Defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, the defense’s anchor, missed all but one of the final eight games because of a neck injury. And two rookies expected to play major roles, Justin Walley and Hunter Wohler, never reached the regular season after season-ending injuries in August.
Even with all of that, Irsay-Gordon said the team’s focus has to be on finding answers when things go sideways.
"As we reflected on last season, this one phrase just kept coming to my mind, and that was ‘find a way,’" she said. "That was the mantra that we settled on kind of for this season, and we came to ‘find a way’ because we thought about what are the qualities that successful people have, and those qualities are consistency. Those qualities are resilience in the face of adversity, and those qualities, most importantly, are a mental toughness and a find-a-way mindset."
In Other News...
Anthony Richardson Just Put The Colts In A Tough Spot
Anthony Richardsons status has quietly become one of the more awkward storylines hanging over the Colts as the season approaches. A former first-round quarterback who was once supposed to be part of the franchises long-term answer is now sitting behind Daniel Jones, and his contract structure only adds another layer to the situation for Indianapolis.
The part the Colts have to sort through now is less about talent than leverage. Richardson has not withdrawn his trade request, and Chris Ballard has already made clear the team would rather get draft value back than carry him on the roster into the final year of his deal. That leaves Indianapolis weighing whether to hold firm or keep listening, with a team like the Jets looming as the kind of quarterback-needy partner that could make the next conversation a complicated one. [Read more 🡒]
Daniel Jones Just Changed The Feel Of The Colts Quarterback Battle
Weather pushed the Colts inside for their fourth camp practice, and the change of scenery did little to slow Daniel Jones. With Shane Steichen away for personal reasons, several veterans back on the field after resting or dealing with illness, Jones took a noticeable step forward in the red zone period and kept himself in the center of a quarterback competition that already has been worth tracking.
The details of the work matter because Indianapolis is still sorting out how the depth chart looks with Anthony Richardson Sr. and rookie Riley Leonard also getting reps. Jones timing and command stood out enough to alter the feel of the battle, while Leonard was more active in the rotation and Richardson got his turns as well, leaving the Colts with more to study once the full offense is back together. [Read more 🡒]
Jonathan Taylor Is Putting Colts On The Spot Again
Jonathan Taylor has been back in the Colts good graces for a while now, and the latest contract conversation feels a lot different from the last one. After the holdout that led to his three-year, $42 million extension, Taylor has continued to show up as the centerpiece of the offense, which is exactly why every word around his future carries extra weight in Indianapolis.
What makes this round of talks notable is the tone. Taylor has taken a cooperative approach and made it clear he wants to stay with the Colts long-term, a stance that stands in contrast to some younger running backs around the league who are pushing harder for new deals. For the Colts, the challenge is less about wondering whether Taylor wants to be part of the plan and more about whether the front office can keep one of its most important players content for the long haul. [Read more 🡒]