Indianapolis Colts Announce Decision On Jim Irsay Ceremony

The Colts have already announced plans to honor Irsay throughout the 2025 season with a special patch featuring his initials, signature and smiley face on their jerseys.

"For The Boss," the team said. "Jim's initials, signature and trademark smiley face will be featured on our jerseys this season. #ThankYouJimIrsay," the team announced yesterday.

Tributes have been pouring in from across the NFL ever since his passing was announced. 

"Irsay often viewed himself less as an owner and more of a steward of a football team. But he was more than that. He was a steward of a city. Indianapolis is what it is now because of Irsay – and that goes beyond a skyline now defined to the south by Lucas Oil Stadium," Colts.com writer JJ Stankevitz wrote in his article for the team yesterday.

"The mark he left here – on the community as a whole and the individuals who comprise it – is indelible. Irsay did all he could to give back to Indianapolis, whether it was through donations, random acts of kindness, free events, mental health improvements or by having a football team in which our city could take pride.

"Irsay's death leaves a huge hole in our community. But if we follow the example he set and honor the legacy he deserves, collectively, we can all work to fill it."

Irsay took over the team in the mid-1990s following the passing of his father, Bob Irsay. One of the first and most consequential decisions of his time as an owner was directing the team to draft Peyton Manning over Ryan Leaf in the 1998 NFL Draft.

It was a decision that changed the franchise forever. Manning would go on to become one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history and led the team to two Super Bowls, including their second-ever Super Bowl in 2006.