On ESPN’s ‘The Pat McAfee Show’ with host Pat McAfee, Indianapolis Colts team owner and CEO Carlie Irsay-Gordon explained some of the franchise’s rationale in bringing back both starting quarterback Daniel Jones and wide receiver Alec Pierce in free agency—particularly as it relates to the former:
“I mean first I was very excited to get both of them back, and I think they both wanted to come back together, and I think it’s important as I’ve said talking to a lot of the guys, ‘How did they feel? How did they feel? What did we need to keep moving forward?’”
“And most of them agreed that Daniel was the right person and obviously what he went through with his Achilles, and realizing that as players, . . . and he played with the [broken leg]. I mean for multiple games. I just remember them saying, ‘How can you play with a broken leg?’ And it was like, ‘Well, your fibula only supports 15% of your (body) weight.’ And I’m like, ‘Oh, okay!’”
To credit Irsay-Gordon and her two sisters, the Colts ownership showed a clear commitment to winning, signing both Jones and Pierce’s to lucrative multi-year free agency deals. In fact, a historic, record-breaking one as it relates to Pierce’s 4-year, $114 million deal, when initially signed as an NFL wideout.
Jones would later ink a 2-year, $88 million contract, worth up to a total of $100 million in earned incentives.
Perhaps, most importantly though, Irsay-Gordon’s comments show that now only does the Colts top leadership, namely ownership, longtime general manager Chris Ballard, and head coach Shane Steichen believe in Jones by the Colts putting their money behind their clear conviction, but so does the Indianapolis locker room (i.e., his teammates)—who were consulted before the top brass closed the new deal with Jones.
We’ll have to see whether that belief pays off for 2026 and beyond, but as it stands, the Colts will have their top starting quarterback to wide receiver pairing back for the foreseeable future.
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