Let’s talk some Colts quarterback history, shall we?!
The Indianapolis Colts, even dating back to their days in Baltimore, have always seemed to nail it at the quarterback position, routinely picking up first-ballot Hall of Famers and MVP candidates at a rate much greater than most other franchises. Whenever Chris Ballard decides to go draft another one, there’s a high likelihood that signal caller will be an effective starter, if history tells us anything.
While most teams struggle to find one quarterback that can carry the load for a decade, the Colts have six players that all piled up at least 18,000 yards and 124 touchdowns in the NFL.
We know, insane! So let’s take a look at the six greatest quarterbacks the Indianapolis Colts ever drafted.
6. Jeff George (1990)
Jeff George played his first four NFL seasons with the Colts.
Before the days of Trevor Lawrence, George was considered a can’t-miss prospect, as the former Illinois star was in possession of one of the strongest arms the game has ever seen. Drafted first overall by the Colts in 1990, George wore out his welcome by his second season, going 1-15 while leading the league in sacks with 56.
Oddly enough, he has some solid years after the Colts traded him away in 1994, sending him to the Atlanta Falcons for the pick that became Marvin Harrison.
George went 16-19 with 8,500 yards and 50 touchdowns in Atlanta, but he wasn’t retained long-term. He put together a truly excellent season in 1997 with the Raiders, in which he the league in passing while tossing 29 touchdowns against just nine picks. But he regressed immediately in 1998. After an 8-2 season in Minnesota and some bad years in Washington, George was out of football with 27,062 yards and 154 touchdowns to his name.
George had a very weird pro career. While he has his moments statistically, and his arm helped him play for over a decade, he was rarely in charge of a winning team and is considered by some to be a waste of talent considering the expectations. George is a perfect example of the fact that talent alone can help you have a long career, but it won’t guarantee a championship.
5. Chris Chandler (1988)
Chris Chandler played only two seasons with the Colts.
Chandler was taken in the third round of the 1988 draft following his college career at Washington. While he never had a rocket arm, Chandler was able to win games by quickly processing the defense and making accurate passes. While that style helped the Colts go 9-4 in his starts in 1988, a poor 1989 season prompted Ron Meyer to ditch him for George.
After bouncing around the league as a backup and starter with the Cardinals, Rams and Oilers, Chandler found a home as a veteran game-manager on Dan Reeves’ Falcons. Chandler was named a Pro Bowler twice, with his 1998 season standing out as one of the best in Falcons history. Chandler threw 25 touchdowns and helped Atlanta get to the Super Bowl, where John Elway’s Denver Broncos took them down. Chandler retired in the mid-2000s with 28,000 passing yards and 170 touchdowns to his name.
Chandler could’ve stayed down after the Colts released him, but he kept at it and helped Atlanta become one of the best teams of the late 1990s while taking them agonizingly close to a Super Bowl victory.
But perhaps most importantly? The whole George experiment could’ve been avoided if Meyer didn’t give up on Chandler.
4. Bert Jones (1973)
Who remembers former Colts top pick Bert Jones?!
Younger fans might not remember his name, but Jones remains one of the greatest “what could have been?” stories in NFL history. Drafted second overall in 1973 out of LSU, the “Ruston Rifle” went 10-4 while throwing 18 touchdowns in his third year as a starter. He followed that up with an MVP season in 1976, throwing 24 touchdowns against nine picks and leading the league in passing. The Colts went 11-3 that year.
Only Jones, Roger Staubach and Ken Stabler, the latter two of whom are in the Hall of Fame, had a passer rating over 100 in a season in the 1970s.
Unfortunately, after winning three straight AFC East titles, Jones separated his shoulder, forcing him to miss most of both the 1978 and 1979 seasons. While a productive starter for a few years after his injuries, Jones became much more turnover-prone. After one year with the Rams in 1982, he retired at age 31 following a neck injury. He threw for 124 touchdowns in his short career.
Ernie Accorsi is quoted as saying that Jones would’ve been the greatest quarterback in the history of the sport if he didn’t get hurt. Bill Belichick claims that Jones was as good a pure passer as he ever saw. If he didn’t get injured, Jones might’ve ended up with a gold jacket.
3. Andrew Luck (2012)
It pains Colts fans to bring up Andrew Luck, but he’s one of the best in franchise history.
Andrew Luck was considered to be as sure a bet as any to be a star quarterback in the NFL when he entered the 2012 NFL Draft, and the Coast chose to hitch their post-Peyton wagon to the Stanford star.
He immediately showed that he was as good as advertised, making the Pro Bowl in each of his first three pro seasons while leading the NFL in passing touchdowns with 39 in 2014. Luck’s 240-pound frame combined with an ability to make plays with his legs, a sublime ability to diagnose what the defense is doing, and otherworldly arm talent helped make him an impact player from his first game.
Unfortunately, Luck is remembered for injuries clipping his wings. He made just seven starts in 2015 and missed the entire 2017 season due to shoulder injuries and kidney lacerations. Luck threw for 39 touchdowns in his first season under head coach Frank Reich, but his success wouldn’t be sustained. He retired before the 2019 season.
Luck was a magnificent player who elevated some bad Colts teams and coaching to the postseason with regularity. Ultimately, like Jones before him, Luck’s body failed him. While he was more productive in his short stint as a starter than Jones, as proven by his four Pro Bowls, Luck could’ve been an all-time great if he hung on for a little longer.
2. John Elway (1983)
But … John Elway never even played for the Colts!
Avert your eyes, Colts fans! Elway was drafted by the Baltimore Colts in 1983, but he famously refused to play for them for a multitude of reasons. On top of the fact that he wanted to be on the West Coast, Baltimore was coming off of an 0-8-1 record in the strike-shortened season. Former Arizona State head coach Frank Kush, who had a reputation as a harsh, intimidating man that would strike fear into his players, also spooked Elway about the Colts.
Elway was traded to the Denver Broncos for a package headlined by offensive lineman and No. 4 overall pick Chris Hinton, backup quarterback Mark Herrmann, and a 1984 first-round pick, which became one-time Pro Bowler Ron Solt. While Hinton was a Pro Bowler seven times and an All-Pro five times, even earning a spot in the Colts Ring of Honor, Elway became one of the greatest quarterbacks ever.
The gunslinger ended his career with 300 touchdown passes and almost 52,000 yards passing. A nine-time Pro Bowler and MVP, Elway made the Super Bowl five times, capping off his career with two championship victories in a row, including one over Chandler’s Falcons. Elway’s concerns about Baltimore proved to be warranted, as they largely struggled until they drafted a certain quarterback from Tennessee.
1. Peyton Manning (1998)
Yes, the Colts GOAT, Peyton Manning!
What? You were expecting Mike Pagel, Art Schlichter, or Jack Trudeau?
Peyton Manning was picked first overall in 1998, as the Colts valued the “safer,” more finished product in Manning over the riskier pick in Washington State’s Ryan Leaf. While Leaf might be the worst bust in league history, Manning might be the best quarterback to ever play the game.
At the time of his retirement, Manning was a 14-time Pro Bowler, 10-time All-Pro, four-time passing TDs champ, and three-time passing yards champ. Manning, who took home five MVP awards, retired as the all-time leader in passing yards and touchdowns, winning two championships along the way.
After the glory days of the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Colts were one of the most laughable, consistently poor franchises in football, both in Indianapolis and Baltimore. Manning came in and immediately changed the entire culture of the organization, turning them into a stable team that now very rarely finds itself picking in the top-10 of the NFL Draft.
No Colt will ever be able to replace Manning, both in terms of on-field production, unmatched greatness, and impact on the franchise.
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