Now that Lamar Jackson is allowed to negotiate with other NFL teams, the Indianapolis Colts are reportedly thinking about acquiring the veteran quarterback.
Wednesday was the start of the new league year for the NFL, so it was the first day that Lamar Jackson could start negotiating with other teams. After being non-exclusive franchise tagged by the Baltimore Ravens, Jackson can now field contract offers from other teams, and the Ravens will either have the opportunity to match or let Jackson leave in exchange for two first-round picks.
Considering that Jackson was the league MVP is 2019, and still is one of the best quarterbacks and overall players in this league at just 26 years old, he’s expected to have quite a few suitors— even if several teams suspiciously announced that they weren’t interested in signing him. The quarterback-desperate Indianapolis Colts are one of the teams that should be interested.
Many have already argued that the Colts make a lot of sense for Jackson, and now it’s being reported that Indianapolis is actually giving the situation some thought. Evan Massey of the NFL Analysis Network reported that Indianapolis has emerged as a serious team to monitor in the Lamar Jackson situation.
The #Colts have given some thought to pursuing Lamar Jackson, according to source. They aren't completely sold on any QB in this draft class. A team to monitor.
— Evan Massey (@massey_evan) March 15, 2023
Colts a team to monitor for Lamar Jackson
Indianapolis recently released Matt Ryan, and will probably release Nick Foles soon. Indy did sign Gardner Minshew, but that’s surely for him to be a backup. The point is, the Colts need a quarterback, so they absolutely should be giving some thought to acquiring Lamar Jackson.
The options for the Colts at this point are selecting a rookie with the No. 4 overall pick or trading two first-round picks and paying a bunch of money to have Lamar Jackson. Considering that Indianapolis is behind the Carolina Panthers and the Houston Texans in the draft, Indy could be getting the third quarterback on its draft board. That doesn’t mean the QB will be bad, just that Indy may be settling on its third option.
Even if the Colts do land their top guy, there’s no guarantee that he will become a fraction of what Jackson has already proven to be. It comes down to if Indianapolis would rather save money and gamble or spend money on a proven player that is going to help the franchise win games and compete for championships.
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