The NFL franchise tag (and transition tag), explained | The Colts Show

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).

JJ Stankevitz is joined by Colts Reporter Larra Overton to dive into a season recap. They begin by breaking down the Colts' struggles to win close games (2:00) and examine whether the team's 8-2 start through the first 10 games is something the Colts can realistically replicate (12:55). Later the duo discusses Daniel Jones' play before his injury, in context of the team's decision to sign Philip Rivers (28:00) before closing with a big-picture conversation about whether it makes sense to run it back with Jones and head coach Shane Steichen in 2026 (35:27).

The Athletic's Jourdan Rodrigue, who wrote an in-depth feature story on Colts Owner & CEO Carlie Irsay-Gordon in December, joins JJ Stankevitz for a deep dive into Irsay-Gordon's ownership style (1:10) and how she is molding the Colts to be a different NFL franchise (12:40). Rodrigue explains her reaction to Irsay-Gordon's decision to retain general manager Chris Ballard and Shane Steichen (18:09) and what the future holds for the Colts under Irsay-Gordon's leadership (24:04).

Longtime Colts scribe and Pro Football Hall of Fame selector Mike Chappell joins JJ Stankevitz for an in-depth conversation about the Hall of Fame cases for Adam Vinatieri and Reggie Wayne (3:45), starting with how the Pro Football Hall of Fame's change in its selection process is leading to fewer players getting inducted into Canton. JJ then asks Chapp why Reggie Wayne hasn't been inducted yet (10:21) despite being a finalist in every year of his eligibility. JJ and Chapp then break down Adam Vinatieri's Canton case (20:43) and why he didn't get in as a first-ballot inductee last year. Chapp also predicts who will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame next summer (27:20) before diving into the annals of Colts history for the biggest sliding doors moment (32:47) since the team moved to Indianapolis.