On March 21st, The Indianapolis Colts signed 39-year old veteran Philip Rivers to a one-year deal worth $25 million.
It’s even rumored that the Colts turned down Tom Brady’s interest in Indianapolis to bring in Rivers on a one year, “prove it” style deal.
The Colts are sitting at 5-3 going into Week 10. They have the best offensive line in the NFL and the best defense they’ve ever had. Offensively, Rivers hasn’t had many weapons to work with. Marlon Mack tore his Achilles in week one, Paris Campell has been sidelined with an injury, and TY Hilton has again struggled with injuries. Even when Hilton has been healthy, he’s looked like a shell of his former self. He’s been more of a TY Motel Six as opposed to a TY Hilton.
Is Philip Rivers the Problem?
If he’s not the sole problem he’s certainly part of it. Rivers is not the quarterback he was in 2018 when the Chargers went 12-4. In all reality, he’s rarely been that kind of quarterback in his career. He’s only won more than 10 games in his career four times. Rivers has been a starting quarterback since 2006 and has only won more than 10 games once since 2009. For a guy whom many consider to be a good NFL quarterback, he is not a winner and history shows that.
Since he’s been in Indianapolis he’s been nothing but a game manager. The Colts offense has consisted of routine check downs, slants over the middle, screens to Nyheim Hines, and 10 yard out routes. Nothing that any quarterback in the NFL shouldn’t be able to do. He has struggled to get the ball downfield in any capacity. Drew Brees and Tom Brady take a lot of heat for losing arm strength when it appears that Rivers has lost more than either of those two. His longest play from scrimmage this year has only been 55 yards. Against the Ravens, he missed Michael Pittman Jr and Marcus Johnson open on deep routes. Rivers repeated inability to move the ball downfield is going to cost the Colts in the long run. When they move away from the run game or need a comeback drive, Rivers can not get it done.
It should work in Rivers’ favor that he has the best offensive line in the league protecting him. However, his inability to move and extend plays has resulted in a lot of forced throws. Sometimes he gets away with it. Receivers make a miracle catch, the defense tips or drops a sure-fire interception, or the receiver makes a great play to break up a would-be interception. He has thrown seven interceptions already this season which is on pace for the 14 a year he averages for his career.
Verdict
Is Rivers totally to blame for the offensive woes in Indianapolis? No. Is it fair to say they’d be better off or in the same position with Jacoby Brissett? Yes. People forget that Brissett also had the Colts sitting at 5-2 going into week nine last season. Paying Rivers $25 million to contribute very little on the field seems like a waste of cap space, not that the Colts are strapped for money.
When the alternative was riding out Brissett’s contract, drafting Jordan Love, or signing Tom Brady, Chris Ballard made the worst possible decision. Philip Rivers does nothing for this team other than maybe veteran leadership. Rookie quarterback Jacob Eason probably benefits from having Rivers around and the young receivers probably benefit from practicing with him. Would Tom Brady have done both of those and then some? Yes. It’s safe to say that after the 2020 season, Philip Rivers needs to go.
Replacements
Rivers is clearly not part of the long term solution in Indianapolis. They’re only going to have so long to win with this defense and this offensive line so they have to do something to win now. Who is going to take the reigns? There are a few options.
Jacob Eason
Eason is certainly the least expensive option out there. Again, not that the Colts are strapped for cash. Eason was the Colts fourth-round pick from the University of Washington. Eason transferred to Washington after losing his starting job at Georgia to Jake Fromm. He has a strong arm, can make every throw, and according to Colts quarterbacks coach Marcus Brady, “has been accurate throwing.” Accuracy hasn’t always been Eason’s strong point. Brady has also said that Eason has been developing faster than anticipated, especially from a mental standpoint, and has even impressed Rivers himself. Will Eason be the starter next season? Realistically, probably not. There’s always a chance that they give him the Patrick Mahomes treatment going into his second season.
Carson Wentz
A once-promising quarterback, Wentz has struggled since the Eagles Super Bowl run. He showed promise as a rookie in 2016 and was an MVP candidate in 2017 before a season-ending injury sidelined him after 13 games. 2017 was Wentz’s best season to this point. Who was Wentz’s offensive coordinator in 2017? Colts head coach Frank Reich. A reunion with Reich could be the spark needed to rejuvenate Wentz’s career.
Sam Darnold
Now this one might get some heat. Darnold was drafted to the Jets in 2018 and with the Jets off to an 0-9 start it looks like they’ll probably move on to Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Darnold has struggled in the NFL but a lot of that struggle can be put on the franchise. No one really knows what Darnold can really do because he’s been surrounded by incompetency for his entire career so far.
Adam Gase might be the worst coach in NFL history. It’s already been proved that he was the reason Ryan Tannehill couldn’t succeed in Miami. The franchise as a whole hasn’t given Darnold any weapons to be successful. They force him to play from behind, make risky throws, and try and be the team’s savior on his own. If the Colts could snag Darnold for a mid-round draft pick, it might be worth the risk to see what he can do with an actual head coach, a defense, and an offensive line. The only guarantee is that Darnold can not be any worse than Philip Rivers.
Dak Prescott
This might be more of a dream than a reality. Prescott is expected to be the top free agent available this off-season. It is not expected that Jerry Jones is going to pay him and whoever does pay him is going to have to make him the highest-paid quarterback in NFL history. Does he necessarily deserve to be the highest-paid? Probably not, but that’s how NFL contracts work these days.
The Colts will not have any problem spending money this off-season. They’re projected to have $94 million in cap space this off-season which is the third-most in the NFL behind the Jaguars and the Jets. Prescott has routinely been a top-five quarterback in the league since he’s been in Dallas and if the Colts want him, they’ll be able to get him. He is coming off a gruesome ankle injury which leaves questions about his long-term health and mobility, but he is still the best quarterback in the market if Chris Ballard wants to open up his pocketbooks.