Offseason programs will start getting underway around the NFL next week.
The ten teams that hired new coaches this offseason will be eligible to start working with their players on Monday, April 6. The Ravens are the only team that has set that as their first day of work while the Cardinals, Falcons, Bills, Browns, Raiders, Dolphins, Giants, Steelers and Titans have set Tuesday as their opening day.
All of those teams will also be able to hold a voluntary minicamp later in the spring. Every team is also scheduled to hold a rookie minicamp and a mandatory minicamp over the course of the next few months.
The first two weeks of work for all teams is limited to meetings, strength and conditioning, and physical rehabilitation only. The three-week second phase allows for on-field work, but no full-speed team drills while the third OTA phase allows for team drills, but there is no live contact allowed at any point in the offseason.
Most of the 22 teams with returning coaches will be opening their offseason programs on April 20 or 21. The Broncos have set May 4 as their first day.
Veteran linebacker Anthony Walker will not be back for a 10th season in the NFL.
Walker announced his retirement on Thursday via a post on his Instagram account.
Walker played at Northwestern before being drafted by the Colts in the fifth round in 2017. He spent four seasons in Indianapolis and had 343 tackles, 3.5 sacks, three interceptions, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries during his time with the team.
The Browns signed Walker in 2021 and he spent three seasons in Cleveland. He had 170 tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in that action.
Walker wrapped up his career by playing for the Dolphins and the Buccaneers over the last two seasons.
The Colts are among the many NFL teams that have considered selling a share of the franchise to a private equity investor.
But Colts owner and CEO Carlie Irsay-Gordon says she and her sisters, who inherited the team from their father Jim Irsay, aren’t looking to sell any portion of the team right now.
“We certainly looked at [private equity],” Irsay-Gordon told ESPN. “We don’t have any intention of doing it now.”
Irsay-Gordon hinted that could change, if the Colts decide they need the money to improve Lucas Oil Stadium.
“We have a beautiful building that has amazing bones, but we’re going to need to renovate it,” she said. “It’s already almost 20 years old. It’s insane. But a lot’s changed since then. . . . I think it’s a good thing to be able to have another avenue to diversify your business, get some source of funding if you want to renovate. It’s just another tool.”
NFL owners know private equity money is available, and even the ones who have ruled it out for now may revisit that stance down the road.
Anthony Richardson asked for a trade earlier this year, but the quarterback remains on the Colts’ roster and it’s unclear when that might change.
General Manager Chris Ballard said on PFT Live Monday that he understands why Richardson asked for a trade to a team that can give him “a chance to really play.” The Colts planned for that opportunity to come in Indianapolis, but injuries and Daniel Jones’s emergence last season closed that door.
“We’ll see how it works out here over time,” Ballard said. “We’ve had some discussions with teams. Nothing’s come to fruition at this point. I’m proud of his development, his growth. He’s had some bad freaking luck. We’ve seen it in this league, sometimes thing don’t work out one place and they become good at the next. We’ll see here over the next month how that ends up working out with Anthony.”
A number of teams have filled their quarterback needs in the last few weeks and there’s no clear spot for Richardson to land at the moment. The draft could change that landscape, so it may be a while before full clarity on Richardson’s future comes into focus.
Colts owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon says quarterback Daniel Jones has earned the full confidence of his teammates, his coaches and ownership.
Irsay-Gordon said a big part of the decision to give Jones a two-year, $88 million contract was his relationship with head coach Shane Steichen are a perfect match — something the Colts haven’t always had with their coach and quarterback.
“That chemistry that a quarterback needs to have with their head coach,” Irsay-Gordon said, via the Indianapolis Star. “I don’t want to name any names, but there are situations where your head coach doesn’t believe in your quarterback, I mean, you’re kind of screwed. I think Shane and Daniel really align.”
Irsay-Gordon thinks Jones provides the kind of leadership Indianapolis needs.
“The quarterback is the CEO of our football team, basically,” Irsay-Gordon said. “I think it also helps our team to have an identity. It helps the coaches and people like Shane know, this is what we can do.”
Colts players completely supported bringing Jones back, according to the owner.
“The rest of the team wanted Daniel back, too,” Irsay-Gordon said. “I think that’s really important to listen to what the team is saying, too, because they know everything. People can laugh, but the players know, and I think their input is important. . . . Daniel, he’s an amazing teammate.”
Irsay-Gordon believes Jones is eager to prove he can rehab from his torn Achilles and become an elite quarterback.
“I don’t think it’s given me pause, since we just signed him for a pretty good chunk of change,” Irsay-Gordon said. “Daniel, the fact that he has that work ethic, that mindset, and what I love about him, too, is we’ve got this platform where he can go out there and prove what he wants to prove. It’s good to have guys that have a chip on their shoulder in a good way.”
