Andrew Luck's sudden retirement decision still lingers in Indianapolis. The quarterback position seems to be cursed, and while Daniel Jones might finally end their woes in 2026, he's still a free agent.
Notably, the Colts could've had a franchise quarterback for six years now. Back in late 2019, The Athletic's Dane Brugler revealed that Colts GM Chris Ballard had done his due diligence on Utah State prospect Jordan Love.
"I know (general manager) Chris Ballard, he's spent extensive time looking at Jordan Love this year," Brugler said on the "Locked on Colts" podcast. "Love is maybe one of the few guys that the NFL loves a lot more than the public seems to, just because I know the stats aren't great. "
The Indianapolis Colts still regret passing on Jordan Love
Fast forward to today, and Love is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFC. In a sit-down with Nathan Brown of the Indy Star, the Colts' general manager finally admitted that his decision to pass on Love set the team back nearly half a decade.
Ballard claimed that he wouldn't reach to get a quarterback early in that seemingly underwhelming 2020 draft class. Instead, he traded his No. 13 pick to the San Francisco 49ers in return for DeForest Buckner, a pick the Niners used to trade down to No. 14 and get DT Javon Kinlaw.
To be fair, he probably expected Love would be available at No. 34. Not many people thought the Green Bay Packers would take him at No. 26, especially with Aaron Rodgers still in town. That's just the way things go in the NFL Draft at times.
Buckner earned first-team All-Pro in his first season with the team, all while Love sat behind Rodgers as a rookie. On paper, Ballard had made the right call, which is why it's so hard to judge draft picks until a couple of years have passed.
The Colts rolled with Philip Rivers in 2020, followed by Carson Wentz, Matt Ryan, Sam Ehlinger, Nick Foles, Gardner Minshew, Joe Flacco, Daniel Jones, and Riley Leonard. They also used the No. 4 pìck to get the now-infamous Anthony Richardson.
It's always easy to judge these moves in hindsight. There's no way to predict how a player is going to pan out. To be fair, Love was way too raw to go as high as No. 13. At least, Ballard will have another chance to finally right his wrong this offseason.