Colts' Carlie Irsay-Gordon Doubles Down On Expectations for 2026

WESTFIELD, Ind. — All offseason, Indianapolis Colts owner & CEO Carlie Irsay-Gordon has laid out her expectations for the team in 2026.

In January, after the team missed the playoffs for a fifth consecutive season, Irsay-Gordon expressed confidence in general manager Chris Ballard and head coach Shane Steichen heading into 2026, but with a significant caveat.

"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.

After training camp practice on Friday, on the fields at Grand Park Sports Campus, she doubled down on her conviction in the 2026 team while also standing firm on her expectations.

"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.

Ownership is showing strong belief in two figure heads that have struggled to find consistency and success, as Ballard's record as Colts GM is 70-78-1, with just two playoff appearances, and Steichen's is 25-26, with no postseason appearances.

When asked why she thinks the 2026 season will be different from years past when the team has fallen short, Irsay-Gordon pointed to organizational consistency.

"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."

The Colts spent the offseason focusing on continuity on offense, with retaining quarterback Daniel Jones at the top of mind. Jones suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in Week 14, which was a complicating factor, but ultimately, the team re-signed him to a two-year, $88 million contract.

It was perhaps in Jones' absence that his value was revealed. The Colts lost their final seven games of the season, with Jones starting three of them, but the team's options at quarterback once he went down were sixth-round rookie Riley Leonard and retired 43-year-old Philip Rivers, who hadn't played since the 2020 season.

Reasonably, the Colts feel Jones' presence would've helped them down the stretch in 2025 and will be a key lynchpin to their success in 2026.

The Colts also re-signed wide receiver Alec Pierce to the most lucrative free-agent deal ever for a wide receiver: four years and $114 million. He led the NFL in yards per reception in each of the last two years and reached his first 1,000-yard season last year, but he'll be expected to be the team's top receiver now despite never finishing higher than third on the team in pass targets.

Defensively, the Colts are confident they need only health, and that coordinator Lou Anarumo can work his magic. In 2025, prized free agent signing Charvarius Ward Sr. was limited to just seven games because of three concussions. The Colts traded for superstar corner Sauce Gardner at the deadline to pair with Ward, but Gardner only suited up for two full games because of a calf injury, and Gardner and Ward only played in one full game together.

Defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, the leader of the defense, suffered a neck injury that kept him out for all but one of the final eight games. Rookies Justin Walley and Hunter Wohler, both of whom were due to play serious roles, didn't even make it to the regular season, as they both suffered season-ending injuries in August.

The Colts are reliant on many factors going their way in 2026 despite luck often eluding them, but Irsay-Gordon said their mantra must be about "finding a way."

"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 2026, Irsay-Gordon expects the Colts to move beyond excuses and simply "find a way."