Jim Irsay Claps Back at Legendary Colts Coach, Media Criticism

Getty Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay responded to criticism he's been receiving.

It’s been a bit of an open season on the Indianapolis Colts since the franchise fired head coach Frank Reich and hired ESPN analyst Jeff Saturday as interim head coach.

Actually, really ever since the Colts benched quarterback Matt Ryan, the organization has been under fire. That’s been especially true for Colts owner Jim Irsay, who is reportedly making a lot of the major decisions in the organization lately.

On November 8, even Saturday’s former head coach Tony Dungy was critical of Irsay and the Colts.

Specifically, Dungy was critical of how the Colts have handled their quarterbacks this season.

“I guess it’s the fact that it’s contracts, and he (Matt Ryan) plays so much, then you pay this money next year,” Dungy said while appearing as a guest on The Dan Patrick Show. “If he gets hurt, this much is guaranteed. So you think, ‘OK, we’re not going to make the playoffs, and we’re not going to win the Super Bowl, so we’re not going to do that (play and pay Ryan).’”

Despite Dungy being responsible for the only Super Bowl trophy in Indianapolis history, Irsay didn’t take too kindly to his former coach’s criticism.

Irsay Rips Media, Takes Issue With a Ryan Benching Narrative

One of the more popular narratives circling around the media for why Ryan was benched following Week 7 was the way in which his contract is structured.

“Ryan’s contract already pays him $12 million in base salary next year, fully guaranteed,” wrote ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio on October 25. “But millions more would become fully guaranteed if Ryan suffers an injury that keeps him from passing a physical by the third day of the 2023 league year in March, when the payments that are currently guaranteed for injury become fully guaranteed.

“Specifically, Ryan has $7.205 million in additional 2023 salary guaranteed for injury, and a 2023 roster bonus of $10 million, which is also guaranteed for injury. That’s $17.205 million that the Colts would potentially owe Ryan (in addition to the $12 million) if he emerges from the 2022 season with an injury that prevents him from passing a physical by the middle of March.”

Hearing Dungy bring up this narrative again on The Dan Patrick Show was apparently the last straw for Irsay.

“I don’t know how people report these things falsely. There’s no playing-time thing for Matt Ryan to get his $17-million bonus in the offseason,” Irsay said in a call with The Athletic’s Bob Kravitz on November 8. “There’s no such thing. They’re all available to help us win, bottom line. There’s no bonus if Matt plays a certain amount of time, it’s ridiculous.

“Tony talking about it, it’s been mentioned in other columns, it’s ridiculous and completely false. It’s always been about whoever can help us win going forward.”

Irsay added that there’s no guarantee that Sam Ehlinger will remain the team’s starting quarterback for the rest of the season. The Colts owner reportedly told Kravitz that he is open to Ehlinger, Ryan and Nick Foles sharing playing time the rest of the 2022-23 campaign.

Irsay Did Not Consult Dungy Prior to Coaching Change

Irsay has been pretty open to the fact that he uses former members of the Colts organization as consultants for big decisions. It’s part of how he landed Saturday as head coach — the former center has been a resource for Irsay in the past.

But on The Dan Patrick Show, Dungy said Irsay did not consult him before making the team’s coaching change this week.

If the Colts owner had asked Dungy for input, the Super Bowl winning coach would have encouraged Irsay to stick with Reich.

“As a fan and former Colt, I would have have said, ‘Hey, Jim, you’ve got as many wins as the Rams, the defending Super Bowl champs,’” Dungy said. “‘There’s no super teams out there. Get this going. Stay with Frank.

“Let’s see if we can win a few games here, get back in the race. You make the playoffs, you already beat the Kansas City Chiefs; everyone is saying they’re going to the Super Bowl. You already beat them. So if you get in, who knows what’s going to happen? So stay with the best course of attacking to get you in these playoffs.”

Irsay did not address those Dungy comments in his call with Kravitz, but the Colts owner insisted that the team is not tanking and still trying to secure a playoff spot this season.