The Indianapolis Colts could be looking for a change in quarterback after a mediocre season by Jacoby Brissett.
The team has not publicly stated that they’re looking to upgrade at the position, but the rumors continue to build up.
Brissett was thrown into the fire after Andrew Luck shockingly retired in August.
The Colts went 7-8 with Brissett under center, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see the team want to add some depth behind him this summer.
If the Jaguars trade Nick Foles, which team will he be playing for Week 1 of the 2020 season?
Colts +300
Bears +500
Patriots +700
Titans +900
Bucs +1200
Eagles +2000https://t.co/oSemzLKeIz pic.twitter.com/8oJ4ryDQuB— SportsLine (@SportsLine) March 4, 2020
Why Nick Foles?
Last spring, the Jacksonville Jaguars signed Nick Foles to a four-year $88 million deal with $45 million guaranteed.
However, Foles suffered a broken clavicle in Week 1 and made only four starts with the team all year.
Rookie Gardner Minshew jumped into the spotlight and made a strong case for the starting quarterback spot this upcoming season.
The Jags could be looking for salary relief and moving on from Foles is likely the best way to solve that issue.
While Foles is a Super Bowl-winning quarterback, it’s a hard sell for any team to take on a contract like that for multiple seasons.
Colts Have Lost Faith in Brissett?
Brissett didn’t exactly light the world on fire last season, but he didn’t have an awful season either.
He threw for 2,942 yards with 18 touchdowns and six interceptions during his 15 games last season.
The Colts gave Brissett a two-year $30 million extension before the season started, so there is no long-term commitment by the team.
On paper, Brissett takes care of the ball and gets the job done at quarterback, but lacks experience on the biggest stage.
Foles has played in six playoff games including a Super Bowl victory with the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Colts are a team that wants to compete for a championship right now and unfortunately, Brissett doesn’t have playoff experience.
Highest-Paid QBs in 2020
Jared Goff – $36M
Ben Roethlisberger – $33.5M
Kirk Cousins – $31M
Russell Wilson – $31M
Jimmy Garoppolo – $26.6M
Matt Ryan – $24.2M
Joe Flacco – $23.7M
Nick Foles – $21.8M
Aaron Rodgers – $21.6M
Jacoby Brissett – $21.5M
Derek Carr – $21.5M— NFL Stats (@NFL_Stats) February 29, 2020
Is Foles Worth The Risk?
During his four games in Jacksonville last season Foles wasn’t the ideal starting quarterback.
The team went 0-4 during his starts, while he threw for 736 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions.
His completion percentage was 65.8% which was higher than Brissett’s 60.9%, but Foles didn’t play in as many games, so comparing their performances is tough.
However, the small sample size from Foles has shown he’s really not an enormous upgrade over Brissett.
Carrying two quarterbacks on the roster with big salaries could cause the Colts to have to cut corners elsewhere in order to stay under budget.
Could the Colts Trade Brissett?
There is a scenario in which the Colts acquire another quarterback like Foles and shipping Brissett elsewhere.
Having two big contracts at quarterback is a bad idea, so the Colts would likely have to find a trade partner for Brissett if they want to add Foles over the summer.
They could possibly swap Brissett for Foles in a potential deal, but it’s unlikely that the Jags would want to take on a big contract when they already want to get rid of Foles’ deal.
Adding Foles and moving Brissett to another quarterback-needy team is a possibility and the only realistic move for the Colts if they want to have the funds to continue to add on in free agency.
The odds are in the favor of the Colts acquiring Foles this summer, but they may have to do some creative thinking if they want to add in other areas as well.
NEXT: 3 Reasons Why the Colts Should Pass on Philip Rivers
