According Albert Breer of MMQB in 97.5 The Fanatic’s ‘The Anthony Gargano Show’, if the Indianapolis Colts after all don’t land Carson Wentz in a deal, the franchise still has other options in this off-season, including potentially negotiating for the New York Jets’ Sam Darnold or to a possible defender in the next NFL Draft in April:
“I don’t know the exact offer the Colts made, but I can say that they will be disciplined,” said Breer during the radio show on Wednesday. “And this is not the only quarterback solution that they are looking for. I think they have the flexibility now with where their list is to potentially switch to the draft in April to go up and get one. I think there is a reasonable chance that Sam Darnold will be available in three or four weeks – or sooner. So, that would be another option out there for them. “
“So, I don’t think the Colts are going to get into that, looking at him saying, ‘If we don’t get Carson Wentz, we’ll be in a stream’. And remember that too, they know what’s good and bad about Carson Wentz. Yes, (Colts head coach) Frank Reich was close to Carson when they were together in 2016 and 2017. And yes, (Colts senior offensive assistant) Press Taylor had a good relationship with Carson too, but he was in it too (Colts coaching) is Mike Groh, the coach of (wide) receivers, and I don’t need to tell you how that relationship has been in recent years. So, they are armed with all the information, it’s not just the good side of Carson Wentz, it’s the bad side too. “
Of course, none of this is exactly surprising and just reiterates some of Breer’s earlier reports of rumors—With some additional information.
Despite the great openness, general manager of Colts Chris Ballard has already warned that he will not act out of desperation for a full-back in this off-season:
“There is a fine line between being aggressive and desperate. We are not going to operate in a desperate world, ” Chris Ballard said in 107.5 The Fan’s ‘The Dan Dakich Show’ a few weeks ago. “This is what the world does. That’s what Twitter does. That’s what people do. They operate in a desperate world. No, we are not going to operate in this world. “
“We will be aggressive when we need to be aggressive.”
The Colts still have remaining quarterback options outside of Wentz – even if they are relatively limited in this off-season.
This includes: Trading for Darnold, the third overall choice in the NFL Draft 2018, who was hampered by a lack of support cast and suffered from insufficient training – having struggled out of the gate early in his professional career, despite his intriguing talent .
Or negotiate a king’s ransom to enter the NFL Draft Top 5 and get names like a defender like Ohio State Justin Fields, BYU’s Zach Wilson, or the state of North Dakota Trey Lance.
Neither is a big proposition (and it comes with its own risk), but the franchise’s back is also not necessarily ‘against the wall’ right now – considering all things.
Clearly, the Colts like Wentz enough to make the Eagles a reasonable / competitive offer for him, but not in excess of what they think their perceived value and reasonable projection really are at the moment. Ballard has been consistently frugal in his draft choices and usually does not exceed his credited value for a player (let alone someone like Wentz, who is clearly not an NFL superstar now).
The Colts like Wentz enough to chase him into a trade, but it’s not like they’re overly in love with him – where it’s going to be an ‘all or nothing’, ‘party or hunger’ mentality.
This reeks of despair – which simply won’t happen under Ballard’s supervision.
Wentz has a chance to be a really good NFL quarterback again (especially if reuniting with Reich, while getting rid of some bad habits acquired) – but there is an inherent risk in such a significant acquisition because he is not currently that type of passer how is it.
This is a type of recovery project, and everyone knows it.
There is no point in paying a premium for what Wentz is currently not because of what he could be. It is not how it works.
The Colts know that Wentz prefers Indianapolis.
They also know their limits and are willing to follow their weapons.
Indianapolis knows it still has alternatives – even if Wentz doesn’t come to the Colts after all.