It’s safe to say that Carlie Irsay-Gordon has been preparing for her current role for quite some time.
Amy Trask, the first-ever female CEO of an NFL team, first recalled seeing Irsay-Gordon at league meetings with her late father — former Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay — in 2004. Over two decades later, Irsay-Gordon is now the owner and CEO of the team with the NFL’s best record entering Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“To watch her evolve and progress and succeed, as she is doing, puts a smile on my face,” Trask said. “The roles that Carlie and her sisters are in are no surprise to me. Every conversation I had with Jim about the future of the team, he was very clear that he wanted his daughters to be very involved. He took the necessary steps to position them for the future. It didn’t happen by accident.”
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As Trask alluded to, a succession plan was clearly in place prior to Irsay’s passing earlier this year. Shortly after Irsay’s passing, the Colts released a statement announcing the team’s new ownership that included each of Irsay’s three daughters.
Irsay-Gordon was named owner and CEO, serving as the team’s principal owner. Casey Foyt was named owner and executive vice president. Kalen Jackson was named owner, chief brand officer and president of the Indianapolis Colts Foundation.
Together, they are the third generation of Irsays to own the Colts, succeeding their father, Jim, and grandfather, Robert Irsay, who purchased the Colts in 1972 in a franchise swap with owner Carroll Rosenbloom, who had taken control of the Rams from Irsay.
Each of Irsay’s daughters spent at least 14 years with the organization prior to becoming owners. Foyt has also worked for the NFL and helped the league plan its first regular-season game outside North America. Jackson has overseen various aspects of the organization, which include coordinating the family’s community and philanthropic efforts.
Irsay-Gordon joined the Colts as a vice president in 2008 while simultaneously completing coursework towards a doctoral degree in clinical psychology. Since 2004, she has represented the Colts at NFL meetings and has been an active member in multiple league committees.
Following their father’s death, the sisters were tasked with taking over a franchise that was in transition. The Colts were entering their third year with a first-time head coach, Shane Steichen, who had drawn criticism the previous year for his handling of former first-round pick Anthony Richardson. Indianapolis went 8-9 in 2024, missing the playoffs for a fourth straight year.
In hindsight, Steichen’s decision to name Daniel Jones his new starter over Richardson this summer was a foreshadowing of what has been the NFL’s most surprising success story this season. While benching a quarterback is never easy, it’s even tougher when said quarterback is a former first-round pick. It’s even harder when that player is getting replaced by a quarterback (in this case, Jones) who has also struggled to get his career off the ground.
But instead of drama, the Colts quietly went about their business. They started the year with three impressive wins before losing a close game to the Rams in Los Angeles. Indianapolis has since responded with four straight wins, and in the process, has started garnering the attention that comes with being the NFL’s only 7-1 team.
Irsay-Gordon has also received more attention, particularly for her unorthodox game day routine of wearing a headset and holding a notepad on the Colts’ sideline.
“I need to learn more about this,” Irsay-Gordon has previously said about her game day process. “I need to be able to say, ‘Is this person full of BS? Do they even know what they’re talking about?’ … It’s such a complex organism, a football team, and how it operates on game day.”
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She said that wearing the headset on game day has also helped her identify what tweaks, resources and/or fixes the team might need in order to improve the team’s overall operation. Given the Colts’ current record, it’s safe to say that her insight has made an impact.
“I would suggest it for anyone else who has to pay coaches and GMs millions and millions of dollars,” she said. “It helps you potentially make a less expensive mistake.”
While it was initially met with some skepticism, Irsay-Gordon’s game day routine is now being lauded following her team’s hot start. In many ways, it embodies Jim Irsay’s unyielding drive to help his Colts win at all costs, a drive that’s clearly been passed onto his daughters.
“Every fan should want the owners of their team to care as deeply and as passionately about winning as they do,” Trask said.
Irsay-Gordon’s desire to do things her way has undoubtedly contributed to the Colts’ impressive start. It’s also earned her the praise of other female trailblazers who are pulling for her and her sisters as they continue to carry on their father’s legacy.
“I think they’re doing everything tremendously well,” said Trask, whose 16 years as the Raiders’ CEO included the franchise’s most recent AFC title and subsequent Super Bowl appearances. “I enjoyed all of my league interactions with Jim. When I started in the league, it was his dad, Bob, and then Jim, and then he brought Carlie and her sisters to meetings. They care about that team deeply and passionately.
“I’m thrilled for Carly. I really am. I was in that room when she first came in, and to see her succeeding as she is and doing it her way, it puts a smile on my face.”
