Kwity Paye was a nice person to have around for the Indianapolis Colts, and now he will be a nice guy to have around for the Las Vegas Raiders. He signed there in free agency, but while commenting on the situation, the edge rusher accidentally threw some, potentially needed, shade at the Indy facilities.
Speaking with Good Morning Football, Paye answered a question about what Raiders fans should expect, and he answered that he would be a hard worker, which he will be. He added, "The energy in the building is infectious...I went to the facility yesterday, and I was so blown away. I'm like, 'Bro, you guys have like legit everything here...you could just like live in the facilities.'"
The implication, of course, is that the Colts don't have the same kind of workout rooms and exercise equipment that Las Vegas has, otherwise Paye wouldn't have been so obviously impressed. A team that spends a lot of money on a workout room indicates to a player that the franchise is bought into winning games and creating a winning culture.
Kwity Paye said the quiet part out loud about the Las Vegas Raiders versus the Indianapolis Colts
The Colts might want to do that, too, but the truth is that Indy hasn't created a winning culture because there simply hasn't been enough on-field success. The team hasn't made the playoffs since 2020, and hasn't won the AFC South since Chris Ballard became the general manager in 2017. The team has tried and failed.
The Raiders haven't been big-time winners recently, either, but they are at least being proactive in attempting to improve. Last offseason, the team hired Pete Carroll to be the head coach and traded for quarterback Geno Smith. Those moves didn't work out, but instead of waiting to see if things would be better in year two, Vegas moved on from them.
Meanwhile, Indy keeps Chris Ballard around even though the results remain the same. Head coach Shane Steichen can only use the players Ballard gives him, but Steichen has a record of 7-22 against winning teams in three seasons. Should the Colts have let Ballard and Steichen go this offseason? Maybe.
Las Vegas might have. No guarantee exists that hiring new head coach Klint Kubiak and picking Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza will work out in the long-term, of course, but the Raiders are trying to find the right answers. The Indianapolis Colts just keep running things back. If the team falls short of the postseason again in 2026, drastic changes must be made.
That might include hiring a new GM and head coach who understand how to win while the ownership group puts some money into the locker room (which received a C+ in the NFLPA grades for 2026) and weight room. Those help create a winning culture, too.