The Indianapolis Colts will be tasked with finding their fourth quarterback in the past four years. ... [+]
The Indianapolis Colts will have to look for a new franchise quarterback — again.
Over a year following Andrew Luck’s abrupt retirement, yet another Colts starting quarterback has called it a career. That would be because 39-year-old Philip Rivers announced his retirement to the San Diego Star-Tribune on Tuesday night.
While Rivers may be the second quarterback to walk out on the Colts in less than two years, it doesn’t mean that the starting quarterback gig in Indianapolis is anything short of a dream job of sorts.
The Colts are an 11-5 team that is coming off of its second playoff appearance in the past three years under head coach Frank Reich. In fact, one could argue that had Reich not gone for a fourth-and-goal conversion during the second quarter of the team’s wild card playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills, they might still be playing right now.
The team’s operations are run by general manager Chris Ballard, one of the league’s top decision-makers behind the re-building of the Kansas City Chiefs into a yearly playoff contender during the 2010’s — right before the Patrick Mahomes era.
The Colts have just one quarterback — second-year player Jacob Eason — under contract for next season.
So what do the Colts do? Do they quickly look to replace Rivers with a veteran quarterback and make another run at a Super Bowl? Or do they draft a franchise quarterback in the 2021 NFL Draft?
The answer is simple — they do both.
The Rivers signing was obviously a quick band-aid to the team’s quarterback dilemma last year. And simply put, the signing did work out for the team.
Rivers had one of his best years, posting the third-highest completion percentage of his career and his third-highest passer rating over the past 10 seasons. And despite the 17-year veteran being an absolute statue in the pocket, the Colts allowed just 19 sacks on Rivers — the second-lowest mark of his career as a starter.
But now, it’s time to tackle the team’s biggest problem — the lack of a franchise quarterback. But at the same time, they can still acquire a veteran quarterback that will help the team win now.
Despite having the No. 21 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Colts have a number of possibilities. They can opt to stand pat and select a quarterback such as Alabama’s Mac Jones. Or they could move up in the draft and pick a guy like North Dakota State’s Trey Lance.
If the Colts seriously want a difference-maker at the most important position in football, they might be start to move up from their No. 21 draft slot. The top teams in the AFC have all made moves in the draft to select their guy at quarterback.
The Kansas City Chiefs did it with Patrick Mahomes when they moved 17 spots up. The Baltimore Ravens also did it with Lamar Jackson when they traded up 20 picks. The Buffalo Bills made a similar move by moving 14 spots up. And while things haven’t been pretty in Houston over the past year, the Texans made a bold move when they traded 13 spots up to draft Deshaun Watson.
Bottom line is this — if you want to be amongst the contenders, you have to make bold moves. You do that by trading assets to move up in the draft and selecting your guy at quarterback.
Outside of the obvious in that the Colts need to draft early to find their franchise quarterback of the future, Indianapolis can find their short-term solution with a number of options.
Names such as Matthew Stafford, Sam Darnold and Carson Wentz are viable trade options. In the case of a guy like Ryan Fitzpatrick — or maybe even Dak Prescott — Indianapolis can simply sign one.
All of the aforementioned players have some baggage. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t be possibilities. However, all five players can easily fill Rivers’ void and maintain the Colts’ status as a legitimate playoff contender.
Are we forgetting that Rivers was coming off the worst season of his career in 2019 and ranked second in the NFL in interceptions thrown?
It’s remarkable what a change of scenery and structure can do for a player.
The New York Jets may give Darnold another chance under a new regime led by first-year head coach Robert Saleh. Acquiring Wentz from the Philadelphia Eagles may be hard to swallow due to his massive cap hit of roughly $133 million over the next four seasons.
So that leaves Stafford as the best option here.
Stafford is just 32 years old and has been plagued by playing for a bad organization — remember, this is the same team that forced Barry Sanders and Calvin Johnson to retire early — his entire career.
Yes, his 0-3 playoff record and lack of success in the postseason will probably scare some. But there’s no doubting his skills or the fact that he hasn’t slowed down in his 12th season.
While the contract numbers are pretty large ($33 million in 2021, $26 million in 2022), the Lions could walk from Stafford with just $6 million in dead money during the 2022 offseason if they just want a one-year rental.
And considering the Lions are on a new head coach for the fourth time in Stafford’s career with no quick rebuild in sight, they might be privy to trading their franchise quarterback to an actual contender for the first time in his career.
Rivers’ retirement may be another sting for the Colts organization. But make no mistake about it, this team isn’t going anywhere.
As long as the Colts acquire a veteran quarterback — and draft one early in the 2021 NFL Draft — they should be a pesky playoff contender yet again entering next season.
