Colts Reportedly Trying to Convince Backup QB Jason Campbell to Unretire
According to ProFootballTalk, the Indianapolis Colts are reportedly trying to convince former starting Washington Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell out of retirement to become their new backup:
Per source, Colts are trying to lure QB Jason Campbell to unretire. He played for Browns the year Rob Chudzinski was the team's head coach.
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) November 11, 2015
With starting quarterback Andrew Luck out at least a month with a lacerated kidney, the Colts will need someone to handle backup duties behind Matt Hasselbeck now. Their backup earlier this season with Luck out, Josh Johnson, is still on the Buffalo Bills active roster, so options are clearly limited on such short notice.
Oct 12, 2014; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Jason Campbell (17) against the Carolina Panthers at Paul Brown Stadium. The Bengals and the Panthers tie in overtime 37-37. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
The 10-year veteran Campbell started 8 games for the Cleveland Browns in 2013 under then head coach Rob Chudzinski, so he should have a great familiarity with the latter’s recently implemented offense as new Colts offensive coordinator.
Under Chudzinski, Campbell completed 180 of 317 passes (56.8%) for 2,015 passing yards, 11 touchdowns, 8 interceptions and a passer rating of 76.9 during that 8 game starting stint in 2013.
However, Campbell last appeared in the NFL for the Cincinnati Bengals last season, where he appeared in 4 games–completing 11 of 19 passes (57.9%) for 74 passing yards, 0 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, and a passer rating of 66.6.
Originally a first round pick of the Washington Redskins in the 2005 NFL Draft, the 33 year old Campbell has also spent time with the Oakland Raiders and Chicago Bears in addition to the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals during his well-traveled NFL career.
It’ll be interesting to see if the Colts will be able to successfully convince Campbell to leave the friendly confines of his living room sofa and perhaps the golf course in order to handle the team’s short-term backup quarterback duties.
UPDATE (3:52 PM EST): Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, at least 4 other teams have tried to lure Campbell out of retirement this season, and he’s “highly unlikely” to make a comeback for the Colts:
Four teams tried talking Jason Campbell out of retirement this year; none succeeded. Campbell "highly unlikely"... https://t.co/rSpUo1vQn7
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 11, 2015
UPDATE (9:31 EST): Things certainly don’t look promising on the Colts recruitment:
Jason Campbell has rebuffed Colts overtures to bring him in. Not going to happen. He's essentially retired
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) November 12, 2015