The Indianapolis Colts have seen several stopgap quarterbacks take up shop since Andrew Luck’s shocking retirement immediately ahead of the 2019 season. That list includes Philip Rivers, Carson Wentz and Matt Ryan.
It might finally be time for embattled general manager Chris Ballard to look in another direction and find a long-term option. Selecting No. 4 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft, Indianapolis is not in a great position to do that outside of trading up. According to NFL Media’s Daniel Jeremiah, that scenario might very well be in the cards.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the start of the NFL Scouting Combine, Jeremiah said he expects Indianapolis to pull off a blockbuster trade with the Chicago Bears for the No. 1 pick ahead of the annual draft this spring. “I would not be sleeping well if I were going to sit tight there at No. 4,” Jeremiah noted.
Despite recent reports that Florida’s Anthony Richardson is ascending draft boards, it’s safe to assume that Bryce Young from Alabama and Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud will be the top two quarterbacks off the board once the NFL Draft comes calling. Kentucky’s Will Levis is also in the conversation to be a top-10 pick.
As for Chicago, general manager Ryan Poles and co. are willing to trade the top selection for the right price. The Bears have a talented young quarterback in Justin Fields, who they exhausted a ton of capital to move up for in the 2021 NFL Draft. Sure, Poles doesn’t have a built-in relationship with Fields. But it makes very little sense for Chicago to move on from Fields after what we saw from the quarterback during his sophomore campaign.
From the Colts’ perspective, it makes sense to bypass the Houston Texans at two and deal directly with Chicago. Houston is obviously more in need of a quarterback after Davis Mills proved not to be the answer in 2022. Moving up to No. 1 would ensure Indianapolis its guy.
What a blockbuster Colts, Bears trade might look like
We would normally look at various NFL trade value charts when coming to a conclusion. But with the importance of quarterbacks in today’s market, that can be thrown out the window.
The starting-off point would be Indianapolis moving its first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft to Chicago. From there, the Colts can offer up their second-round selection this April (35th overall) as well as the third rounder they acquired from the Washington Commanders last offseason (79th overall). Of course, this package also includes the fourth overall selection.
This could very well be enough for Indianapolis to entice the Bears into making a blockbuster trade that would guarantee the Colts either Young or Stroud.
In reality, Indianapolis finds themselves in a less-than-stellar situation. They believe the roster as it is currently constructed is capable of competing in the AFC. Unfortunately, quarterback play has been a major issue since Luck’s retirement.
There are just no real options out there on the NFL free agent market, unless Indianapolis wants to continue with finding stopgap options. The likes of Jimmy Garoppolo, Jacoby Brissett and Baker Mayfield are not long-term solutions. Short of pulling off a blockbuster trade for an Aaron Rodgers or Lamar Jackson, going this route makes the most sense for the Colts.
More must-reads: