Since Andrew Luck retired from the Indianapolis Colts, the team has struggled to have a permanent quarterback.
Luck decided to step away from football in August 2019, and the Colts haven’t been the same since.
The team has had three different quarterbacks over the last three seasons.
The 2019 season started with Jacoby Brissett at quarterback.
The team would then release Brissett in favor of Philip Rivers in 2020.
Philip Rivers now sitting with a cool 4 TDs/5 INTs after his 23 TD/20 INT season. Worth remembering that Rivers was without a job for about 10 minutes before the Colts rushed to sign him for $25 million. (TWENTY-FIVE MILLION!)
I know someone they could've had for less… pic.twitter.com/BADePO3yRI
— Michael Hurley (@michaelFhurley) October 12, 2020
After Rivers took the Colts to the playoffs, he would announce his retirement after their playoff loss.
The team then made a trade in 2021 for Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz.
Philadelphia has agreed to trade Carson Wentz to the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for a 2021 third-round pick and a conditional 2022 second-round pick that could turn into a first, league sources tell @mortreport and me.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 18, 2021
Wentz would help the team come within one win from making the playoffs in the 2021 NFL season.
However, a collapse by Wentz and the Colts against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the final game of the regular season ended their playoff hopes.
The #Colts had an 81% chant to make the playoffs entering yesterdays game against the #Jaguars. Credit to the Jags for plying with nothing to lose and spoilers. This is far and away one of if not the worst loss in Colts history. Who’s to blame for the loss? Coaching? Wentz? pic.twitter.com/CBXN414uqd
— Brad (@Glimjii) January 10, 2022
The rest is history, as the Colts have traded Wentz to the Washington Commanders in 2022, leaving them without a proven QB under center.
Colts Spent Too Much Looking To Other Quarterbacks
Where the Colts went wrong was going after these other quarterbacks.
Instead of drafting a quarterback or working with Brissett, they opted to get Rivers and then Wentz.
While Rivers and Wentz have been good in their careers, they were never meant to be for the Colts.
Rivers was in his 16th season when the Colts acquired him, something not promising for a team needing a long-term fix at quarterback.
After acquiring Rivers, the team should have drafted a quarterback to train as his replacement.
Again, the Colts would spend too much time doing other things and trade for Wentz before the NFL 2021 draft.
Wentz was seen more as a long-term fix over Rivers, who was only in his sixth season in the NFL.
But after one season, the Colts moved on from him, even though his numbers weren’t awful during the season.
With what the Colts have spent on Rivers and Wentz, they have ruined their chances of a future with a solid young quarterback.
They Will Need To Wait Until 2023 Draft For A Young Quarterback
The deal for Wentz in 2021 sent the Eagles a first-round pick for 2022, leaving the Colts without a selection until the second round.
The option for trading for a first-round pick would hurt the Colts, making it a non-starter for them.
So they will have to patiently wait until next year to have a chance of drafting an elite quarterback.
If they can be patient, they might have a chance of getting a quarterback the caliber of Peyton Manning.
They could then help mold him into their system as they did with Manning.
Having a young quarterback that you can start fresh with gives teams a better position than having to retrain an older quarterback into the current system in place.
Plus, they have the best chances of having the first pick overall next year without a proven starting quarterback on the roster.
That news might be a bittersweet pill to swallow for the Colts.
However, they might need it for the team to have a proper reset at quarterback.
NEXT: NFL Analyst Names Best QB Option For The Colts
