Since the Chicago Bears traded the No. 1 pick to the Carolina Panthers, should the Indianapolis Colts be more interested in acquiring Lamar Jackson.
On Friday, the Chicago Bears traded the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft to the Carolina Panthers in a deal that included multiple first-round picks and wide receiver DJ Moore. Now, both teams will enter free agency knowing where they’ll be picking in the draft. Also, all of the other teams that were interested in trading for the No. 1 overall pick must now consider other plans.
The Indianapolis Colts were one of those teams. Several experts believed the Colts were the most likely team to trade with the Bears for No. 1, but ultimately, it was Carolina that got it done. Now, Indianapolis has to figure out how it’ll move forward as the team remains focused on addressing the quarterback issue.
The Colts could remain at No. 4 and draft a quarterback, or they could try trading up with one of the three teams in front of them, including the Panthers who could reportedly still trade out of the No. 1 pick. The only thing that’s certain is that two quarterback-needy teams are set to pick in front of Indianapolis, and that number could grow to three.
With this now being the case, Indy must decide if the team is comfortable taking the third or fourth quarterback in the draft. Knowing that’s how the draft could unfold, Indianapolis should be seriously considering making a run at Lamar Jackson.
Colts should make a run at Lamar Jackson
Even when landing the No. 1 pick was an option, Indianapolis should’ve been interested in acquiring Lamar Jackson, who the Baltimore Ravens gave the non-exclusive franchise tag. Now that Indy will likely be picking at No. 3 at the highest, the team should desperately pursue Jackson.
The Colts could definitely get a quarterback at No. 3 or No. 4, and the quarterback could end up being really good. However, Indianapolis would be taking a ton of gambles, gambles that could be deemed unnecessary since there is an elite quarterback out there that the team could potentially acquire.
The Colts would have to offer Lamar Jackson a hefty contract, and send the Ravens at least two first-round picks, but that seems like a much better option than possibly selecting the third or fourth quarterback on Indy’s draft board. Jackson can’t start negotiating with teams until Wednesday, March 15, so we’ll see if the Colts will try to bring Jackson to Indianapolis.
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