Carlie Irsay-Gordon

[YDFL Commish]

Originally Posted by apballin

It’s her first year as an owner not to mention she wasn’t around football from childhood all the way through her entire life like Jim. Jim knew his football and not only that he built lifelong connections and was able to figure out who to trust and how to maneuver to become a successful NFL franchise. There’s no way bad health or not the girls were expecting to be running this team this soon.

I mean I love comparisons but holy fuck I mean the only thing I can come up with is… fuck … I don’t know… she went from driving a brand new Cadillac Escalade to her dad handing her the keys to a fucking Disney Cruise ship pretty much overnight

I love this post. She's had 6 months on the job and has to trust her lieutenants at this point. Carlie hasn't even had an off-season to formulate a short list of both GM and HC candidates. So, do we want her to go into this blind and make a bad decision? IMHO, she should consult with someone like Polian or Dungy to strategize a future without the current regime.

If she hires the next Rich Kotite or Matt McMillen, then Indy may not be long for having a team.

[YDFL Commish]

Enjoy!

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/...sson-3rd-grade

[Oldcolt]

More than any one person she will determine our future. She seems like as decent a human being as any billionaire can be. She is in a difficult situation but is putting in the work. I have faith in her. Will take years to know for sure

[Racehorse]

Chopped actually wrote a letter by hand?

[Colts And Orioles]

o


Why Colts Owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon Oozes With Optimism Despite the Team’s Recent Failures

(By James Boyd)

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/748...-daniel-jones/



WESTFIELD, Ind. — Carlie Irsay-Gordon needed to get something off of her chest. So on the eve of the Indianapolis Colts’ 1st training camp practice, the organization’s principal owner stood before the players and coaches and delivered a message.

“As we reflected on last season, this one phrase just kept coming to my mind ...... ‘Find a way,’” Irsay-Gordon said on Friday after the Colts’ 3rd training camp practice. “And so that was the mantra that we settled on for this season.”

Irsay-Gordon explained that traits like consistency, resiliency, and mental toughness separate the great teams from the rest of the pack. The problem, however, is that based on the results, the Colts have lacked those qualities, especially last season.

After surging to an 8-2 start atop the AFC standings in 2025, the Colts lost their last 7 games and missed the playoffs for the 5th consecutive year. Injuries were a significant factor, most notably when starting QB Daniel Jones ruptured his right Achilles tendon, but Irsay-Gordon still expected more.

This year, she hopes, will be different.

“We certainly can’t use injuries as an excuse, because that’s something every team goes through,” Irsay-Gordon said. “I’ve talked to players and coaches about (how) if you haven’t quite had success yet, sometimes it’s important to think about where you came from, where you are now and what you want to become. It’s hard when we’ve had years of not quite getting over that hump, but I think that that’s why we’re hammering on (that mantra of) finding a way.”

Indianapolis hasn’t made the playoffs since 2020, hasn’t won a playoff game since 2018, and hasn’t won the AFC South since 2014. What’s more, amid their current 5-year post-season drought, the Colts are a combined 18-27 in November, December, and January.

Despite damning evidence that the Colts have been a middling franchise in recent years, Irsay-Gordon oozed optimism on Friday, and said that she knows that the Colts have “everything we need” to change the franchise’s direction. A large part of Irsay-Gordon’s belief is rooted in the team’s field general ...... Daniel Jones.

The veteran quarterback, who is about 8 months removed from surgery to repair his right Achilles tendon, is already a full participant in practice and poised to begin his 2nd season as Indianapolis’s starter. Jones quickly won over the locker room last year thanks to his steady play, attention to detail, and toughness, which have carried over into 2026. The elephant in the room, which Irsay-Gordon acknowledged, is that Jones has a lengthy injury history and hasn’t completed a full season since 2022.

“I feel like every player has injuries, and I just think that Daniel, he has a find-a-way mindset,” Irsay-Gordon said.

“Thursday morning, I’m working out, it’s like 6 AM, and he’s coming out of the quarterback room. And he did that all through, even with his injury ...… he’s just a great leader, and I believe that he’s going to find a way to figure it out, stay healthy, and get us to where we need to go.”

Of course, Irsay-Gordon isn’t expecting everything to break the Colts’ way ...... hardships surely await, she warned, but how they respond will reveal who they truly are.

“You have to have that mindset, that inner-belief, that inner-faith to overcome,” Irsay-Gordon said.

“What are you going to do when the adversity comes ??? Are you going to stay disciplined ??? Are you going to stay consistent ??? Or are you going to go into the fetal position ??? …... it kind of comes down to that find-a-way mindset.”


Ballard and Steichen’s Future


Aside from sharing the Colts’ new mantra on Friday, Irsay-Gordon was also asked about the future of two of the franchise’s most important figures ...... GM Chris Ballard and head coach Shane Steichen. Ballard, who is entering his 10th season and the final year of his contract, has a 70-78-1 record in Indianapolis. Steichen is 25-26 as he begins his 4th campaign.

Ballard said on Tuesday that he did not expect to receive a contract extension, presumably because he hasn’t delivered enough wins on his current one. Asked if she viewed the 2026 campaign as a “consequential season” for Ballard and Steichen’s job security, Irsay-Gordon did not give a definitive answer.

“I think that even if you’re Seattle, I think that the pressure is always there,” Irsay-Gordon said of the Super Bowl champion Seahawks. “But certainly, as I’ve told Chris and Shane, the sense of urgency has never been higher, and we have to find a way.”

Irsay-Gordon added that she’ll continue empowering Ballard, regardless of his expiring contract, and she won’t micromanage his roster decisions. When asked where things stand regarding Ballard’s tenure with the team, Irsay-Gordon again declined specifics.

“I believe that we have everyone here to get us where we need to go,” Irsay-Gordon said. “Chris wouldn’t be here if I didn’t believe that, and we’re just going to have to see how things play out.”


Mum on Taylor’s Contract


Irsay-Gordon would not guarantee that Jonathan Taylor would get a new contract, but she was complimentary of the Colts’ star running back. Taylor, who is entering the last year of his 3-year, $42 Million deal, said in the spring that he "wants to be a Colt for life.”

He doubled down on Wednesday, saying that he believes that his contract negotiations are “moving in the right direction.”

“I love Jonathan. I’m really proud of the leader that he’s become on our team,” Irsay-Gordon said while keeping all contract negotiations private. “His picture is on the side of Lucas Oil Stadium for a reason, and I would love it if he would be a Colt for life.”

Taylor’s 69 rushing TD's are the most in Colts history. He ranks 2nd in franchise rushing yards (7,598), trailing only Hall-of-Famer Edgerrin James (9,266.)


Last Camp at Grand Park


Irsay-Gordon said that it was “a tough decision” to stop hosting the Colts’ training camp at Westfield’s Grand Park. After this year, training camp will be held at the team’s practice facility on West 56th Street. The Colts have called Grand Park their summer home for 8 of the last 9 years, with the only exception being in 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It wasn’t a financial decision,” Irsay-Gordon said. “It was really more about the operational efficiency, making sure that our team can prepare to perform on game-day, and that was just the best decision.”

Irsay-Gordon said that the Colts haven’t hammered out how they will accommodate fans at their practice facility, which is much smaller than Grand Park, but she vowed that the fans will remain a priority.

o

[Oldcolt]

We are fucked if this is her real feelings. She 'thinks' and 'hopes' we will be better. She is cheering everyone on, not setting goals and letting folks know that those goals get met or you are gone. She seems nice, happy and not the least bit pissed. 'We have everything we need' for what? Maybe possibly making the playoffs-which seems to be the goal we have set for ourselves. Apparently we just need the correct 'mindset' (same people leading in the front office and on the field but just try harder-WTF have we been doing)