This year, there is no difference. The Colts quarterback situation continues to be a sore thumb since the untimely retirement of Andrew Luck before the 2019 season. Last year, general manager Chris Ballard reunited Frank Reich and Nick Sirianni with Philip Rivers on a one-year deal.
Rivers was never the long-term solution to the quarterback problem, but I’d be lying if I said I thought Rivers would retire after just one year with the Colts. I believed Rivers would play two years in Indianapolis and then they’d turn the keys over to Jacob Eason as the future of the franchise.
While Rivers didn’t light up any stat sheets last season, he provided the Colts with quarterback play that was above average. Despite a few outlier games — Week 1 in Jacksonville and Week 5 against the Browns — Rivers had a good season all things considered. Not only did he give the Colts a boost over Jacoby Brissett, but he gave leadership to a young team with two rookies who needed it in Michael Pittman Jr. and Jonathan Taylor.
Rivers had a competition percentage of 67% and threw 26 touchdowns against 11 interceptions. Along with those stats, he had a quarterback rating of 96 and threw for nearly 4,500 yards. Compare that to the 2019 season with Brissett, who only threw for 2,900 yards and 18 touchdowns against six interceptions.
The biggest difference, however, is the completion percentage, which was just above 60% for Brissett, and the lack of downfield passing (6.6 for Brissett and Rivers was close to 8). Colts fans’ biggest gripe in 2019 was the lack of aggressive downfield passing, and that shows in the statistical analysis. Although Rivers had a better season, the Colts were only one loss away from missing the playoffs and the Week 1 loss to a 1-15 team haunted them all season long as the Tennessee Titans took home the AFC South crown.
As I see it, the Colts have three options for a quarterback this offseason: they can roll with Brissett again and risk the lack of a potent aerial attack; they can draft another quarterback, but that doesn’t make too much sense with the team in win-now mode and possessing a top-10 defense; or they can acquire an established quarterback through a trade or free agency.
Here are five ways the Colts can achieve their desired outcome for a quarterback this offseason.