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What should be made of Jim Irsay and Colts talking about Bryce Young and the Bears?

By Jaleel Grandberry

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - DECEMBER 31: Bryce Young #9 of the Alabama Crimson Tide reacts after throwing a touchdown pass during the fourth quarter of the Allstate Sugar Bowl against the Kansas State Wildcats at Caesars Superdome on December 31, 2022 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - DECEMBER 31: Bryce Young #9 of the Alabama Crimson Tide reacts after throwing a touchdown pass during the fourth quarter of the Allstate Sugar Bowl against the Kansas State Wildcats at Caesars Superdome on December 31, 2022 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /
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After Jim Irsay spoke about Bryce Young, everyone is convinced the Indianapolis Colts will trade with the Chicago Bears to draft him. 

Tuesday was supposed to be about the Indianapolis Colts hiring Shane Steichen as the team’s next head coach. With Indianapolis holding a press conference to introduce Steichen, that’s what the day mostly was about. However, Jim Irsay slightly stole the show when he spoke on Indy’s draft plans and name-dropped a specific quarterback prospect that he was impressed by.

When talking about trying to find a young quarterback in this year’s draft, Irsay explained how the team will have to decide between staying put and possibly moving up. Chris Ballard then interjected and joked about trading back as well. Knowing that wouldn’t go over well with the fans, Ballard joked about that becoming a headline on Twitter. However, it was what Irsay said next that became the real headline.

He explained that trading back probably would make Ballard happy but admitted that “the Alabama guy doesn’t look bad.” This of course got the NFL world buzzing. Did Jim Irsay just leak Indianapolis’ draft plans to the entire world? Have the Colts already zeroed in on drafting Bryce Young?

People have made the case that Irsay was being genuine and may have gotten too chatty, and others argued that this was just a calculated smoke screen by an experienced owner who knows how draft season works. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle. Irsay may have just been speaking in jest and understands that Bryce Young is considered the top quarterback in this year’s draft.

Whatever the case, Irsay hasn’t stopped insinuating that Indianapolis will move up to the No. 1 pick to select a quarterback. On Wednesday morning, Irsay posted a picture of him from his childhood on a bear at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago. The picture was captioned, “My relationship with the Chicago bears goes back more than 60 years…” This is noteworthy because if the Colts want the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft, they have to trade with the Chicago Bears.

Irsay is a businessman, though, he understands that negotiations don’t happen on social media. He’s likely just trolling everyone and having some offseason fun.

Jim Irsay is trolling the Chicago Bears

For now, Irsay is likely just trolling. The Colts are coming off probably the longest and most in-depth coaching search in NFL history. All of the organization’s time has been spent on finding a head coach. The combine or pro days haven’t happened yet, and Indianapolis hasn’t met with any prospects. They probably have no idea what they’re going to do with the No. 4 pick.

It is likely that Indy will be drafting a quarterback and it’s also possible that the Colts will trade with the Bears for the No. 1 pick. Will they select Bryce Young with that pick or will they have a different quarterback in mind to fit into Shane Steichen’s system? It’s too early to tell, but the Colts have the next couple of months to come to a decision.

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