Carlie Irsay-Gordon

Irsay-Gordon Addresses Chris Ballard, Shane Steichen Statuses; Colts Part Ways With Morocco Brown

June 11th, 2025 at 10:10pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Colts will go through a difficult transition this year, as Carlie Irsay-Gordon will take over as principal owner after her father’s death. Jim Irsay‘s oldest daughter had been groomed for this role, and she takes center stage at a rather unstable point with regards to Indianapolis’ roster.

Anthony Richardson has not shown much to indicate he can be what the Colts had hoped, and the former No. 4 overall pick is now out until at least training camp due to another shoulder injury. Daniel Jones is in place as a stopgap, and the former Eli Manning Giants successor could be the Colts’ eighth Week 1 starting QB since 2017. The Colts have been unable to overcome Andrew Luck‘s August 2019 retirement, and Irsay-Gordon made it known Chris Ballard and Shane Steichen must improve the operation — perhaps quickly.

“Chris and Shane know that they have things they need to fix,” Irsay-Gordon said, via the Indianapolis Star’s Joel Erickson. “We have a standard here, and it hasn’t been good enough. Winning is great, but I would even take it a step further and say we’re really committed to being the best. If we’re the best, we will win games. I think Chris and Shane are totally capable of doing that.”

Ownership transfers regularly lead to coaching and GM changes. The Commanders fired Ron Rivera and reassigned Martin Mayhew last year, while the Broncos canned George Paton hire Nathaniel Hackett months after new ownership took over. David Tepper booted Rivera and GM Marty Hurney barely a year after taking over in Carolina. Though, Indy’s change is obviously different from those power shifts, as Irsay-Gordon will attempt to carry on her father’s work. Jim Irsay backed Richardson in 2023 but signed off on a Jones stopgap effort as protection, as the Florida alum’s issues with injuries, accuracy and maturity have plagued him as a Colt.

The Colts have made one playoff appearance since Luck’s retirement, venturing to the wild-card round during Philip Rivers‘ one-and-done stay. They lost as two-touchdown favorites in Week 18 of the following season, having failed to win 10 games since that Rivers one-off. Indy is 17-17 under Steichen, Ballard’s second official HC hire (after Josh McDaniels backed out in 2018). Ballard being 2-for-8 in postseason trips as GM certainly has raised his seat temperature, and the duo will now need to convince Irsay-Gordon to stay with this mission. Richardson’s status remains paramount to this.

A key change has already come on that end, as Morocco Brown — who brought Richardson onto the Colts’ radar during the pre-draft process — is out as a senior personnel exec, Erickson adds. The Colts had employed Brown since Ballard’s first year on the job (2017). They promoted him from college scouting director to chief personnel exec during the 2022 offseason. He interviewed for the Bears and Steelers’ GM jobs that spring, also being in consideration for an Eagles position that year, and met about the Falcons’ GM gig in 2021.

Brown had made weekly trips to Gainesville during the 2022 season, championing Richardson, who was a one-year college starter. Richardson’s size-speed package intrigued many in 2023, but he completed less than 54% of his passes during his starter season at Florida. Those issues have followed him to the pros. Richardson’s became the seventh QB this century to throw at least 200 passes in a season and complete fewer than 50% of them, finishing at 47.7%. Jones is now taking first-string reps at minicamp.

Irsay-Gordon did not mandate a 2025 playoff appearance in order for Ballard and Steichen to retain their jobs, though she also did not indicate the HC-GM combo is a package deal. Splitting up the pair will be a storyline to monitor.

“I can’t answer that question right now,” Irsay-Gordon said when asked about Ballard and Steichen being tied together. “That relationship is really important, and I think that’s why, in a lot of ways, as I’ve been more involved in the football side over the last 8-10 years, it’s like in a marital argument, right? It takes two to tango, and they have a great relationship.”

Irsay regularly meddled in personnel during Ballard’s tenure, and Kalen Jackson — Irsay-Gordon’s younger sister, who is now a part-owner — insists the new ownership trio will let the GM and Steichen do their jobs without interference. If the Colts do not show progress after a step back last season, it may be difficult to envision this tandem having the chance to keep those jobs for much longer.

Colts Confirm New Ownership Structure

June 9th, 2025 at 1:56pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Colts’ new ownership arrangement is officially in place. The team announced on Monday how the front office will operate moving forward.

Jim Irsay‘s recent passing set in motion the transition of power to his three daughters. In the aftermath of his death, it appeared as though Carlie Irsay-Gordon would take over as the Colts’ controlling owner. That is now officially the case, and her title also includes that of chief executive officer.

Casey Foyt will take on the role of executive vice president in addition to her status as a co-owner. Kalen Jackson, meanwhile, while operate as chief brand officer and president of the Colts Foundation. Since joining the organization, much of Jackson’s time has been spent working on her father’s mental health initiatives, so today’s news comes as no surprise.

Irsay-Gordon, 44, handled the Colts’ day-to-day operations when her father was suspended in 2014. She has spent the time since then acclimating to the workings of the organization in numerous ways, positioning herself as Irsay’s heir apparent. With the team’s succession plan now in place, Irsay-Gordon will take on the responsibility of overseeing the Colts on a full-time basis as expected.

Chief operating officer Pete Ward and chief legal officer Dan Emerson have both been in place for decades in Indianapolis. They will each will stay on as the Colts transition to this new ownership structure, one which keeps the organization in the same family it has belonged to since 1972.

Carlie Irsay-Gordon Expected To Run Colts

May 26th, 2025 at 11:15am CST by Ben Levine

MAY 26: Ward will indeed carry on as COO, The Athletic’s James Boyd confirms (subscription required). As a result, he will continue to oversee the Colts’ non-football operations. Ward and other veteran executives will play central roles in helping Irsay-Gordon assume controlling status of the organization moving forward.

MAY 22: Following the sudden passing of owner Jim Irsay earlier this week, the Colts’ succession plan is now in the limelight. All three of Irsay’s daughters have been listed as “vice chair/owner” for more than a decade, but Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com says the late owner’s oldest daughter, Carlie Irsay-Gordon, is expected to be the “new person in charge.”

ESPN’s Stephen Holder echoes this sentiment, noting that Irsay-Gordon has seemingly been preparing for this role for years. The 44-year-old once ran day-to-day operations while her father served his league-imposed suspension following a 2014 DUI arrest. Since then, she has reshaped “the business side of the franchise in terms of structure and personnel,” according to Holder.

Irsay-Gordon has also put in a concerted effort to understand every facet of the organization. Holder notes that she could often be seen on the sidelines wearing a headset to have “an up-close-and-personal view of coaches and players at work.” Those actions haven’t gone unnoticed.

“Carlie, specifically, will be the perfect modern-day owner,” a rival executive told Holder. “Carlie has been embedded in the business for probably over a decade at this point. She’s smart, a continuous learner, rigorously works to understand football from a scouting and coaching perspective.

“She also has the rare blend of appreciating tradition and professional expertise but not being bound by it because she is a progressive thinker. Very good people skills as well. She will be a great steward of the organization.”

Holder notes that two long-term executives are expected to help Irsay-Gordon with the transition. This exclusive grouping includes chief operating officer Pete Ward, who has spent more than four decades with the Colts, and chief legal officer Dan Emerson, who has been advising the family for nearly as long.

Holder adds that there are still a handful of unanswered questions surrounding the organizational hierarchy, specifically how much of a say the other sisters will have on major decisions. Casey Foyt has been working with the team for nearly 20 years, and she played a role in helping bring NFL games to London. Kalen Jackson joined the Colts a few years after her sisters, and she’s been responsible for leading many of her father’s mental health initiatives.

Jim Irsay saw a similar path through the ranks after his father, Bob Irsay, purchased the then-Baltimore Colts in 1972. Since Jim took over sole ownership following his father’s passing, he’s made it clear that the organization will remain in his family for years to come. Now, the time has come for his daughters to take the mantle.

Jim Irsay Still Pushing For Jeff Saturday Hire; Eric Bieniemy, Raheem Morris In Mix

January 25th, 2023 at 11:23am CST by Sam Robinson

The Colts lost seven of their final eight games, finishing 4-12-1. The team had not lost seven games to close out a campaign since its inaugural season in 1953. But Jim Irsay still looks to be pushing to keep Jeff Saturday, the interim head coach he stunned the NFL by hiring in November.

Saturday is going through his second interview Wednesday, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter, who adds as many as seven candidates will advance to the second round of interviews (Twitter link). That list includes Ejiro Evero, and ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano tweets Rams DC Raheem Morris will receive an in-person meeting. The Colts held virtual interviews with 13 candidates — the most of any HC-seeking team this year — but Irsay was not involved in those sessions. He will be there for the second interviews.

Irsay said in November he hoped Saturday would stay on as a full-time HC, and although no team has made an interim coach a full-time hire since the Jaguars removed Doug Marrone‘s interim tag in 2017, CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson notes Irsay is still pushing for Saturday. More pushback has emerged, however. Just as Irsay confidants attempted to dissuade him from hiring Saturday two months ago, Anderson adds (via Twitter) those close to the owner are again attempting to convince him Saturday is the wrong choice.

Indianapolis should also be expected to meet with Eric Bieniemy and special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone for a second time. Each remains in the mix, Graziano adds, though no second interviews with either have been scheduled. Bieniemy has generated extensive OC interest around the league, being connected to open jobs and likely on the radar for some that will soon be available, but ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler notes the longtime Chiefs OC is focused on potential HC gigs. Only the Colts, however, have interviewed him for their job.

Some around the league believe this will come down to Bieniemy or Saturday, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk adds. Considering the backlash both the Saturday hire and Bieniemy’s extended time on the HC carousel have each generated, the Colts choosing Saturday in that instance would create more controversy.

Andy Reid has been the Chiefs’ primary play-caller since 2013, and while Bieniemy has been labeled as a poor interviewer at points during his long run as Reid’s right-hand man, the fifth-year OC has been in place in this role throughout Patrick Mahomes‘ QB1 stay. Considering Mahomes is about to win a second MVP award and will do so after the Chiefs traded Tyreek Hill, that should reflect well on Bieniemy. Judging by the Arizona, Carolina, Denver and Houston searches, however, teams are not closely connecting the Reid lieutenant to such success. Bieniemy and Colts GM Chris Ballard worked together during the latter’s time in the Chiefs’ front office, though Fowler adds the Saturday-Irsay relationship continues to loom over this process.

Ballard ran the first set of Colts HC interviews, SI.com’s Albert Breer notes, adding that Carlie Irsay-Gordon (Jim’s daughter) has played a key role throughout this process as well. Ballard attempted to talk Irsay out of the Saturday hire in November and admitted as much this month. It should be expected the seventh-year GM will keep pushing for a different hire, but Irsay obviously will make the final call. This process should drag into next week, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com adds (video link).

Saturday promised extensive changes if he were to land the full-time job. He offered ex-Frank Reich staffers Scott Milanovich and Scottie Montgomery OC duties, but each turned down the job. That led to assistant quarterbacks coach Parks Frazier receiving the opportunity. The Colts started three QBs during Saturday’s stay (Matt Ryan, Nick Foles, Sam Ehlinger) but only won one game under interim coach. The team’s NFL-record collapse in Minnesota and other shaky performances did not exactly give Saturday momentum coming out of the season. If Irsay bucks staffers’ advice and goes in this direction again, it would make for one of the most interesting decisions in coaching history.