Irsay Stresses Urgency of Getting Deal Done

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay knows that there are a lot of concerns among the Indy fanbase, and he addressed many of them in a phone interview last night with Mike Chappell of the Indianapolis Star.  First and foremost, though, Irsay stressed the importance of getting a deal in place sooner rather than later:

"I  just hope both sides can officially come together in the next 24 hours. We’re literally not just down to days, but basically hours before we run out of time to get to Anderson and have a full preseason.   Then, things start changing to the negative."

Then Irsay touched on three hot topics:

• Peyton Manning’s contract: Irsay said he still plans to pay Manning more than Tom Brady makes (about $18 million/season), but that the deal has to be “reasonable.”
• Manning’s health: Irsay expects Manning to be ready for the season opener on September 11, but made no predictions about the QB’s participation in camp and pre-season games.
• Training camp: The Colts still expect to open camp in Anderson on July 31, but Irsay hinted that date may be in jeopardy with further delays.

Overall, I think Irsay is letting a little more of his savvy business persona come through here than the free spirit we’re used to seeing.  It’s not hard to read the admonition about missed work, and pay, in his missives about timelines.   And he seems to be backing off, if just slightly, from the two-year promises of making Manning the highest-paid player ever.  It’s still going to happen, but it may be by technicality, and it won’t be long until someone surpasses him again.

Really, though, isn’t time to just get back on the field?