As crazy as it sounds, there has been one common theme surrounding the Indianapolis Colts in the early stages of the offseason: losing players to retirement. Just a few weeks after left tackle Anthony Castonzo shocked the fan base and called it a career, quarterback Philip Rivers followed in his footsteps and announced his retirement from the NFL.
Though Rivers certainly hinted during his season-closing presser that this year could be his last, the fact that he left the door open about returning and played at an elite level for most of the campaign had us convinced that he would ultimately decide to return after taking a month to think things through with his family.
In any event, this news means that the Colts’ search for a franchise quarterback can get underway at their earliest convenience, which no doubt benefits GM Chris Ballard and the rest of the front office compared to if Rivers made his decision right before the start of the new league year.
Breaking: Colts QB Philip Rivers is retiring from the NFL after 17 seasons, he told The San Diego Union Tribune. pic.twitter.com/gK1Mb0mYhL
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 20, 2021
Luckily for the Colts, they will have no shortage of options when pondering this decision. After all, they could draft a top prospect, sign an impending free agent, or even take to the trade market to pull off a deal for either an experienced veteran or established superstar.
We have a handful of players in mind who could be under center for Indianapolis come training camp, so we’ve taken the initiative to go ahead and rank them (from worst to best) in terms of the likelihood that they call Lucas Oil Stadium their new home.
6. Jalen Hurts
Jalen Hurts’ future with the Eagles could be in jeopardy after Doug Pederson’s firing.
The Eagles have quite the predicament on their hands at the quarterback position. Up until the moment former head coach Doug Pederson was fired, it look as though Carson Wentz was going to demand a trade in the offseason and Jalen Hurts was going to be the guy moving forward after he established himself as the starter over the final five games.
However, with Pederson no longer in the picture, it’s been reported that Philadelphia isn’t quite ready to cut ties with Wentz just yet. We don’t have to tell you that there’s no sense in keeping two starting-caliber quarterbacks on the roster, so Hurts could become the odd man out.
We would personally be surprised if Hurts ended up with the Colts, but he showed incredible promise in Year 1 this past season and could probably be acquired for something pretty reasonable. Not to mention, Indy could build a virtually unstoppable roster since he’s on a rookie contract.