The Colts should go all-in for 2021 instead of trusting Jacob Eason.
Windows, in the NFL, are exceedingly liminal.
Rosters can collapse like a house of cards after one core piece suddenly evaporates. An offseason’s worth of game-planning can be ruined when one head of a three-headed Colts backfield goes down in Week 1.
An entire coaching staff can book one-way plane tickets to Philadelphia. World-class, widely-lauded infrastructure might only last as long as one full season.
So, it’s with life’s many uncertainties in mind that I heartily endorse the Colts, a team replete with cap space like almost no other, making sure their fourth starter in four years can win a Super Bowl in Year 1 by doling out dollars to a proven star.
Whether that’s Matthew Stafford (it probably should be!), Jimmy Garoppolo, or the very available Deshaun Watson, there’s no reason the future can’t be now in Indy, especially as so many expected pieces of the future like Nick Sirianni are proving every day why you can’t bet on tomorrow.
The only QBs in NFL history with 45,000+ passing yards and less than 150 INT:
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) January 23, 2021
• Aaron Rodgers
• Matthew Stafford
end of list pic.twitter.com/bqcBYtH4Ln
Stafford is potentially the most widely-acknowledged “Give Him Blockers and a Running Back and He’ll Go 12-4” guy in the NFL, and only the Colts and Patriots can seamlessly fit the final two years of his contract into their cap without also maneuvering their guy elsewhere (cough, cough, 49ers).
It’s important to remember, Indy, that Philip Rivers was the bridge to this. To contention. To a well-stocked free agent class.
He wasn’t intended to be the temporary stopgap until the Colts could finally hand the reins to a…fourth-rounder.
Jacob Eason might be a competent signal caller already. He might’ve shown “flashes” in practice, for Marcus Brady’s eyes only. But a well-equipped GM like Chris Ballard reinforcing every area of this roster with his fresh cash instead of simply acquiring a proven winner at the most important position would be delaying Indy’s championship viability needlessly.
They could be contenders next season. Could be. With Eason under center, it’s the start of something at a time when the fans will have earned something far more defined.
Zak Keefer on latest "One Percent Better" podcast: Spoke to someone close to Jacob Eason, and he's committing himself hard to have a shot to battle for the starting spot this fall. Says to not overlook Eason, that he is very much a part of this equation.
— Jake Elrod (@JakeElrod44) January 11, 2021
Eason’s sat and learned under a Hall of Famer for one year. What’s two more?
The Colts will be far better served by bringing in a high-profile starter at the position instead of using their wealth to secure several half-measures.
Colts: Philip Rivers’ comments on Jacob Eason provide more confidence in young QB
Philip Rivers' comments on Indianapolis Colts rookie Jacob Eason will provide more confidence in the young quarterback.