Calm before the storm with NFL Free Agency | The Last Word

The Last Word, the offseason radio home of the Indianapolis Colts, returns this week with Casey Vallier and Matt Taylor. The crew opens with a discussion about the Colts placing the transition tag on quarterback Daniel Jones and what that means on the ability to sign wide receiver Alec Pierce (2:52). Later, Matt Taylor and Charles Arbuckle catch up with former NFL safety and host of The Opening Drive on SiriusXM Solomon Wilcots (17:03) to get his perspective on the Colts and the broader NFL landscape. To wrap up the episode, Matt and Casey break down the Colts' remaining free agency needs outside of quarterback and wide receiver (28:25).

On this week's episode of The Colts Show, JJ Stankevitz caught up with several NFL experts at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine. He opens the show with ESPN's Dan Graziano, discussing the importance of retaining Daniel Jones and Alec Pierce (2:18), then sits down with Yahoo Sports' Nate Tice — host of the Football 301 Podcast — to talk about how he and the Colts' front office share similar evaluations and interests in this year's draft class (12:57). To close out the episode, JJ speaks with ESPN's Benjamin Solak about what makes Alec Pierce such a valuable player heading into the 2026 season (35:39).

JJ Stankevitz is joined by 2025 Colts International Fan of the Year Lucas LeJeune, who's from The Netherlands, for a conversation about how Lucas' efforts have grown and connected the Colts' fan base in Europe.

1:38 How Lucas became a Colts fan despite living an ocean away
9:04 What Lucas has done to connect European Colts fans
17:10 What Berlin showed JJ and Lucas about the Colts' international fanbase
24:06 What Lucas has learned about Colts history & traditions on his visits to the US
33:55 How Lucas reacted to being named the Colts' 2025 International Fan of the Year

JJ Stankevitz dives into the "soft launch" of the NFL's 2026 offseason with an explainer of what the franchise tag and transition tag are, how they can be used and who the Colts could look to tag ahead of free agency in a few weeks.

JJ Stankevitz is joined on this week's episode of The Colts Show by John Ziemann, who in 1976 was the leader of the Colt Marching Band and witnessed a small propeller plane crash into the upper deck of Memorial Stadium following a playoff loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The pilot escaped with minor injuries and no fans were injured in the crash. This is the story of, yes, the time a plane crashed into the Colts' stadium.

On this week's episode of The Colts Show, JJ Stankevitz sits down with Colts offensive line coach Tony Sparano Jr. to break down offensive line play and coaching at the NFL level. Sparano starts by explaining common misconceptions of fans and media about evaluating offensive line play (0:44), then shares what it's like coaching All-Pro guard Quenton Nelson and what makes him special (6:08). The conversation then dives into Sparano's coaching style and philosophy (16:01) before closing with a personal reflection on the lasting impact his late father, Tony Sparano Sr., and the importance of balancing coaching with fatherhood (27:55).

JJ Stankevitz is joined by Charles Arbuckle, who called several Colts games on the radio with Matt Taylor this season, to break down a position-by-position roadmap for the Colts' 2026 offseason. The guys start with a look back at the 2025 season (1:18) before looking at Daniel Jones, Riley Leonard and the QBs (5:22). JJ and Charles dig into the Colts' run game (14:49) and how Tyler Warren impacted the Colts' offense, including Josh Downs (19:21). They then look at the dilemma facing the Colts with Alec Pierce (25:39) and questions about the right side of the offensive line (28:19) before taking a look at the Colts' defense and special teams for the rest of the podcast (31:43).

JJ Stankevitz is joined by Hall of Fame Colts running back Edgerrin James for a conversation that begins with the Miami-Indiana national championship game and the growth of football in the Hoosier State (0:30). Edge also gives his perspective on what he's seen from Carlie Irsay-Gordon, Casey Foyt and Kalen Jackson as Colts Owners (5:51) and his view of Jonathan Taylor, Daniel Jones and the 2025 Colts (9:34). Finally, Edge gets into why he's begun exploring getting into the football media space, including an appearance on FOX NFL Sunday this year (18:20).