It may have benefitted Colts owner Jim Irsay to give his state of the franchise away from a blaring jet engine (how hard would it have been to film this on the actual aircraft?) but the message was still understood. He wants “anyone stepping through the 56th Street doors” to be “all chips in” next season. What does he actually mean by that is anyone’s guess. Is that the sound of an owner still reeling from the franchise’s worst loss and putting everyone on notice or is it a veiled shot at Carson Wentz and other players who chose to be unvaccinated? The latter was a clear emphasis by Irsay, who ahead of the season said getting vaccinated was “the right thing to do” for players wanting to reach the ultimate goal in the NFL. What Irsay exactly meant is only clear to the man himself but it begs the question if he believes Wentz and others are truly putting “all chips in” and what that could mean this off-season.
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— Jim Irsay (@JimIrsay) January 14, 2022
Could the Colts actually move on from Wentz? It’s not out of the question as he’s due $28 million next season with a$13 million kicking in at the start of the new league year. So if the Colts wanted to move off of him they’d be wise to do so ahead of that deadline and eat the remaining $15 million, which they have to whether he’s on the roster or not. It would put them without an answer at QB but if they truly don’t think Wentz is the guy then at least they’re saving themselves $13 million in cap space and can focus on addressing the position in multiple ways. Despite pleas for a guy like Russell Wilson, that seems like a complete pipedream. Not only would the Colts have to give up even more draft capital that they don’t have, the Seahawks would also deal with $26 million in dead cap space if they dealt Wilson. Could guys like Derek Carr or Jimmy Garoppolo be available and if so, would they be considered upgrades over Wentz?
All questions that were asked to ESPN analyst and former Colts center Jeff Saturday when he joined Kevin & Query Monday morning to recap Wild Card weekend and decipher Irsay’s comments. Does he think Wentz will be on the roster next season and does he believe Irsay actually wants him on the roster? What does he think Irsay means by “all chips in” and his biggest surprise out of the playoff weekend. Click the link below for the full interview and listen to Kevin & Query every weekday morning from 7-10 on 93.5 & 107.5 The Fan!
