By Jordan Long
The Indianapolis Colts will need to use the offseason to find a quarterback. Starter Philip Rivers decided to retire after 17 seasons. He spent this year with the Colts. The Colts have plenty of options to replace him.
Indianapolis only has one quarterback on the roster who is signed for next year, Jacob Eason. Eason was a rookie this year and didn’t see the field. The Colts don’t know what they have in him. Eason might be the quarterback of the future, but until he receives playing time, the Colts won’t know what they have in him. They could always re-sign Jacoby Brissett who served as the backup to Rivers and has been with the Colts since 2018. He knows the offensive system.
The Colts may want to look into trading for a veteran quarterback. Possibilities include Sam Darnold and Matthew Stafford. Darnold would come at the cheaper price if the Jets decide to let him go. His cap space hit is around $9.794 million. Darnold might need a different place to play than New York. He has been there for 3 years, but has struggled to show he is the future in New York. Darnold’s record as a starter is 13-25 in his 3 seasons in New York. He has passed for 8,097 yards with 45 touchdowns but he hasn’t been able to stop turnovers with 39 interceptions.
It hasn’t been all his fault in New York. His line hasn’t protected him with a total of 98 sacks. Those numbers aren’t great, but a change of scenery may help his development more. Indianapolis could work with him on trying to read defenses. The Colts offensive line would do a better job at protecting Darnold so he has time to throw the football.
Stafford is the better quarterback. He has played in the NFL for 12 years. His record isn’t that impressive at 74-90-1. There are rumors Stafford may be traded this offseason. Indianapolis is a landing spot because they need a quarterback. The only problem with acquiring Stafford is his cap hit. His cap space is $33 million this year and $26 million next season, a lot for the Colts to take on. They could talk to him about lowering that cap hit.
The other option for the Colts is NFL free agency. There are plenty of veteran quarterbacks for them to sign, assuming their current teams won’t want to bring them back. These include Dak Prescott, Mitchell Trubisky, Tyrod Tayler, Ryan Fitzpatrick, and Andy Dalton. All of them have been starters in this league. Tayler, Trubisky, Fitzpatrick, and Dalton can be backups, too. It could fill the need but it also depends on the amount of money they want. The price might be too high for the Colts to consider.
The last possibility for them to find a quarterback is through the draft. The Colts have the 21st pick in the NFL draft. Indianapolis may select a quarterback there or trade up if they like one and are worried a team is going to pick him. The problem with a rookie quarterback is who knows how successful he will be in the NFL. It is a gamble. The Indianapolis Colts will take their time to find a starting quarterback since it is probably not on their current roster.
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