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PHOENIX — Carlie Irsay-Gordon cares deeply about how the pieces fit together.
From the big-picture relationship between the general manager and head coach to the smaller stuff, like whether the plays the Colts are practicing during the week end up getting called on Sundays.
Daniel Jones is the perfect fit for this team.
“That chemistry that a quarterback needs to have with their head coach,” Irsay-Gordon said of why Jones fits with the Colts. “I don’t want to name any names, but there are situations where your head coach doesn’t believe in your quarterback, I mean, you’re kind of screwed. I think Shane (Steichen) and Daniel really align.”
The last time Irsay-Gordon spoke publicly, the Colts’ principal owner said she’d stay in her lane on evaluating the quarterback position.
But Indianapolis did not greenlight a two-year, $88 million deal for Jones this offseason without Irsay-Gordon’s approval.
Her belief in Jones is rooted in the way the team operated with him at the helm, on and off the field.
“The quarterback is the CEO of our football team, basically,” Irsay-Gordon said. “I think it also helps our team to have an identity. It helps the coaches and people like Shane know, this is what we can do.”
Irsay-Gordon loves the way Jones and Steichen work together.
For her, a team’s alignment is not based only on knowing who has the final say, but that everybody in the building is being put in the right position to succeed, based on their strengths, weaknesses and ability to articulate what they need.
When she watches Jones work with Steichen, suggesting minor alterations to plays the Colts design in order to fit him better or take advantage of something he’s seen in the defense, Irsay-Gordon sees a well-oiled machine.
That’s another one of the reasons Irsay-Gordon believes Jones is the right quarterback for Indianapolis.
“The rest of the team wanted Daniel back, too,” Irsay-Gordon said. “I think that’s really important to listen to what the team is saying, too, because they know everything. People can laugh, but the players know, and I think their input is important.”
Playing the game on paper is easy.
From the outside, based on Jones coming off a torn Achilles tendon and his lengthy history of inconsistency in New York, there was criticism of the team’s decision to bring back Jones, in large part because there were other reclamation projects available who wouldn’t have broken the bank.
Those quarterbacks, in Irsay-Gordon’s eyes, would not be able to replicate the chemistry Jones built with the staff and locker room in Indianapolis.
“Daniel, he’s an amazing teammate,” Irsay-Gordon said. “A week after his Achilles … he’s out at practice on his wheely thing, he’s getting Riley (Leonard) ready for that Houston game, he’s like, ‘I’m not going to miss any of these meetings with Philip (Rivers), the opportunity to learn from him.' He’s just immediately back in.”
The Achilles tendon is the complicating factor.
Obviously. A player coming back from a torn Achilles tendon often takes a full year of play to regain all of his explosiveness and athleticism, and when a fractured fibula robbed Jones of his mobility for two games before the Achilles tear, it was clear that the Indianapolis offense wasn’t the same.
Irsay-Gordon is putting her faith in her quarterback’s dedication.
“I don’t think it’s given me pause, since we just signed him for a pretty good chunk of change,” Irsay-Gordon said. “Daniel, the fact that he has that work ethic, that mindset, and what I love about him, too, is we’ve got this platform where he can go out there and prove what he wants to prove. It’s good to have guys that have a chip on their shoulder in a good way.”
Irsay-Gordon’s belief in Jones is a sign of organizational alignment.
Early last season, before the rest of the NFL caught up to the fact that Jones was playing better than ever before at the head of the league’s most efficient offense, Steichen already believed he’d found the right player.
Colts general manager Chris Ballard has echoed his head coach’s thoughts throughout the offseason, repeatedly telling the public that Jones was the team’s only option at the position, then putting the team's money where his mouth was by signing Jones to a deal that pays the quarterback more on an annual basis than most analysts expected.
Daniel Jones contract: Did Colts overpay? Here's why it makes sense
Irsay-Gordon, the most important voice in the room, is right in step with the two decision-makers she brought back for 2026 despite loud criticism from the fan base.
With a healthy Jones, the Colts believe they can finish what they were setting up with an 8-2 start.
“I’m really convicted that he’s going to be (the right guy),” Irsay-Gordon said. “It’s sort of like last year, before we faced some adversity and went downhill, it’s like we pressed pause on a movie, and now we’re pressing play, and we get to see what happens at the end.”
Joel A. Erickson and Nathan Brown cover the Colts all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Colts Insider newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Daniel Jones is the right QB for Colts according to Carlie Irsay-Gordon
Continue reading...
From the big-picture relationship between the general manager and head coach to the smaller stuff, like whether the plays the Colts are practicing during the week end up getting called on Sundays.
Daniel Jones is the perfect fit for this team.
“That chemistry that a quarterback needs to have with their head coach,” Irsay-Gordon said of why Jones fits with the Colts. “I don’t want to name any names, but there are situations where your head coach doesn’t believe in your quarterback, I mean, you’re kind of screwed. I think Shane (Steichen) and Daniel really align.”
The last time Irsay-Gordon spoke publicly, the Colts’ principal owner said she’d stay in her lane on evaluating the quarterback position.
But Indianapolis did not greenlight a two-year, $88 million deal for Jones this offseason without Irsay-Gordon’s approval.
Her belief in Jones is rooted in the way the team operated with him at the helm, on and off the field.
“The quarterback is the CEO of our football team, basically,” Irsay-Gordon said. “I think it also helps our team to have an identity. It helps the coaches and people like Shane know, this is what we can do.”
Irsay-Gordon loves the way Jones and Steichen work together.
For her, a team’s alignment is not based only on knowing who has the final say, but that everybody in the building is being put in the right position to succeed, based on their strengths, weaknesses and ability to articulate what they need.
When she watches Jones work with Steichen, suggesting minor alterations to plays the Colts design in order to fit him better or take advantage of something he’s seen in the defense, Irsay-Gordon sees a well-oiled machine.
That’s another one of the reasons Irsay-Gordon believes Jones is the right quarterback for Indianapolis.
“The rest of the team wanted Daniel back, too,” Irsay-Gordon said. “I think that’s really important to listen to what the team is saying, too, because they know everything. People can laugh, but the players know, and I think their input is important.”
Playing the game on paper is easy.
From the outside, based on Jones coming off a torn Achilles tendon and his lengthy history of inconsistency in New York, there was criticism of the team’s decision to bring back Jones, in large part because there were other reclamation projects available who wouldn’t have broken the bank.
Those quarterbacks, in Irsay-Gordon’s eyes, would not be able to replicate the chemistry Jones built with the staff and locker room in Indianapolis.
“Daniel, he’s an amazing teammate,” Irsay-Gordon said. “A week after his Achilles … he’s out at practice on his wheely thing, he’s getting Riley (Leonard) ready for that Houston game, he’s like, ‘I’m not going to miss any of these meetings with Philip (Rivers), the opportunity to learn from him.' He’s just immediately back in.”
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The Achilles tendon is the complicating factor.
Obviously. A player coming back from a torn Achilles tendon often takes a full year of play to regain all of his explosiveness and athleticism, and when a fractured fibula robbed Jones of his mobility for two games before the Achilles tear, it was clear that the Indianapolis offense wasn’t the same.
Irsay-Gordon is putting her faith in her quarterback’s dedication.
“I don’t think it’s given me pause, since we just signed him for a pretty good chunk of change,” Irsay-Gordon said. “Daniel, the fact that he has that work ethic, that mindset, and what I love about him, too, is we’ve got this platform where he can go out there and prove what he wants to prove. It’s good to have guys that have a chip on their shoulder in a good way.”
Irsay-Gordon’s belief in Jones is a sign of organizational alignment.
Early last season, before the rest of the NFL caught up to the fact that Jones was playing better than ever before at the head of the league’s most efficient offense, Steichen already believed he’d found the right player.
Colts general manager Chris Ballard has echoed his head coach’s thoughts throughout the offseason, repeatedly telling the public that Jones was the team’s only option at the position, then putting the team's money where his mouth was by signing Jones to a deal that pays the quarterback more on an annual basis than most analysts expected.
Daniel Jones contract: Did Colts overpay? Here's why it makes sense
Irsay-Gordon, the most important voice in the room, is right in step with the two decision-makers she brought back for 2026 despite loud criticism from the fan base.
With a healthy Jones, the Colts believe they can finish what they were setting up with an 8-2 start.
“I’m really convicted that he’s going to be (the right guy),” Irsay-Gordon said. “It’s sort of like last year, before we faced some adversity and went downhill, it’s like we pressed pause on a movie, and now we’re pressing play, and we get to see what happens at the end.”
Joel A. Erickson and Nathan Brown cover the Colts all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Colts Insider newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Daniel Jones is the right QB for Colts according to Carlie Irsay-Gordon
Continue reading...
