It will be an open competition for the Indianapolis Colts’ starting quarterback job this season.
When it comes to who GM Chris Ballard is going to bring in to compete with Richardson, all options are available.
“Everything’s on the table,” said Ballard at the NFL combine about bringing in a quarterback to compete. “It’ll be open (the competition) and it’s gotta be someone who can really challenge from a production standpoint too.”
Presumably, by saying “everything,” this includes the Colts potentially exploring trade avenues as well.
As we discussed recently, finding the right level of competition will be like threading a needle, so to speak.
The Colts want actual competition, so bringing in an established veteran like Russell Wilson, Aaron Rodgers, or even Sam Darnold, who is in store for a big payday, likely doesn’t align with what Ballard is looking for. With any of those additions, there is no competition; Richardson is immediately the backup, and a lot of cap space has been eaten up in the process.
There’s also some unknown that comes with going into the draft searching for that element. Unless the Colts are prepared to spend an early round pick on a quarterback, there’s a risk in bringing in a Day 3 selection and expecting that player to compete for a starting job right away.
So if, for the sake of this conversation, we eliminate those two avenues, the pool of players that the Colts can bring in is somewhat small–not to mention that there is often competition from other teams when it comes to free agency additions at this position.
A few free agent possibilities could include Daniel Jones, Justin Fields, Mac Jones, and Jameis Winston, among others.
“We want to create real competition,” Ballard added. “I think it’s good for the team and I think it’s good for Anthony.