Colts Owner Drops Bombshell That Has To Thrill The Chicago Bears

There are few things that make a draft more exciting than an unpredictable owner. While head coaches and GMs typically make the big decisions, that all goes out the window if an owner gets directly involved. Nobody can say no to them for obvious reasons. Jerry Jones is notoriously involved with ever Dallas Cowboys draft decision. Jimmy Haslam, Jeff Lurie, and Dan Snyder also have such reputations. Yet the biggest wild card of the 2023 off-season, at least from the Chicago Bears' point of view, is Jim Irsay.

The Indianapolis Colts owner has had a wild past few months. He fired head coach Frank Reich midseason and hired Jeff Saturday straight out of the analyst chair to become his replacement. Then, rather than staying committed to his decision, Irsay signed off on firing Saturday in favor of Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen as the new head coach. Where it gets juicy is when Irsay was asked why Steichen was the guy. His quote sent clear shockwaves through the draft community.

The Chicago Bears must've laughed so much at that.

Draft season is about misdirection. The less other teams know about your true intentions, the better. Irsay basically threw that out the window when he stated the Colts' plan is to draft a quarterback, and Bryce Young of Alabama might be their main target. Yes, this could be a misdirection on his part, but given his recent track record of unpredictability, that seems unlikely. It means every team picking behind the Colts at #4 now understand they must get to at least the #3 spot to land a quarterback they covet. GM Chris Ballard knows that too, which in turn means he might have to move up if he wants to get the QB Irsay wants.

This is a perfect development for the Chicago Bears. It should kick the trade market for the #1 overall pick up another notch. GM Ryan Poles doesn't even have to get creative with ways to drum up business. Irsay is doing the work for him. Houston is also widely expected to take a quarterback. If Young is the hot name both teams want, then the Bears can basically play the two against each other. If other teams get involved, so much the better. The higher the demand goes, the higher the price tag becomes to secure the pick.