5 Best Quarterbacks in Colts History

Younger NFL fans know Jim Harbaugh as the hard-nosed head coach of the Chargers, and the Michigan Wolverines before that, but “Captain Comeback” had a brief, but excellent career in Indianapolis.

While Jack Trudeau, Jeff George and Earl Morrall all have an argument here, it was Harbaugh that provided the most success in the transitional period from the team’s move in 1984 to the draft of one Peyton Manning in 1998, and did so at an impressive rate.

With a 49-26 touchdown-to-interception ratio and a quarterback rating of 86.6 during his time in Indy, Harbaugh was one dropped Hail Mary pass away from being the shepherd to the Colts’ first trip to the Super Bowl since Johnny Unitas, and being placed on this list feels like a proper acknowledgment.

4. Bert Jones (1973-1981)

It’s a pretty tall order to take over at quarterback after Unitas, the most beloved and defining signal caller of his era, but Jones did so impressively. Selected No. 2 overall in 1973 after a sparkling career in Baton Rouge, Jones stepped up to the plate to succeed Unitas.

With a peak defined by his 1976 MVP campaign, long regarded as one of the finest campaigns in pro football, the “Ruston Rifle” consistently impressed with his cannon arm.

Devastatingly, Jones’ career was cut short by neck and shoulder injuries, and his career can simultaneously be acknowledged as great while bemoaning what could’ve been.

3. Andrew Luck (2012-2018)

Alas, that’s a perfect transition into Andrew Luck at No. 3. The two-time Heisman runner-up came in as the consensus No. 1 overall pick out of Stanford, and wound up in Indianapolis to succeed Manning, who was released days before the 2012 draft.

Luck’s career ended infamously with his sudden retirement in 2019 after winning NFL Comeback Player of the Year in 2018, a season in which he ranked in the top five in the league in passing yards (5th), touchdowns (2nd) and made the Pro Bowl after missing the season prior to shoulder surgery.

Luck was very successful when he was on the field; his 53-33 record was proof of that. After making three consecutive Pro Bowls out of the gate, including a 40-touchdown campaign in 2014 that culminated in an embarrassing loss to Tom Brady and the Patriots in the conference championship, Luck gave all he had before he decided to step away.

That was an honorable decision, even if it was a bitter pill to swallow at the time.

2. Johnny Unitas (1956-1972)

Unitas was the guy who defined the Colts’ time in Baltimore. The three-time MVP made three NFL championships and two Super Bowls, losing the first and winning the second, a Super Bowl V win over the Cowboys. He crafted much of the game we know today, including the two-minute offense.

It was Unitas who led the Colts 80 yards downfield against the Giants in sudden-death overtime to win 23-17. That game was fittingly known as the “Greatest Game Ever Played.”

Until Drew Brees came around, the 10-time Pro Bowler and 1979 Hall of Famer had the previously untouchable record of 47 straight games with a touchdown. “The Golden Arm” was not only transformative for the Colts franchise, but in many ways, set the standard for the NFL’s popularity today.

1. Peyton Manning (1998-2010)

Crazy to think, but in Manning’s rookie year, the Colts went 3-13, with Manning finishing second in Offensive Rookie of the Year voting.

From then on, Manning would finish with a record above.500 and make the playoffs in nine of 10 seasons in Indianapolis, with his magnum opus coming in 2006, when he passed for 1,034 yards in four playoff games, leading the Colts to their first title in 36 years.

As gritty as he was brilliant, Manning never missed a game while in Indy until missing the entirety of the 2011 season with what many thought to be a career-threatening neck injury (until his encore with the Broncos, that is).

Manning won the MVP in back-to-back years on two separate occasions and surpassed 4,000 passing yards in 11 of his 13 seasons in Indy.

Manning reigns supreme on the Colts’ quarterback leaderboards in just about every category, and it’s not a hard argument to make that the player who defined Indianapolis football belongs at No. 1.

More Indianapolis Colts Rankings

• 5 Best Quarterbacks in Colts History
• 5 Best Running Backs in Colts History
• 5 Best Wide Receivers in Colts History