INDIANAPOLIS – Colts owner Jim Irsay has stopped worrying about the position of defender for almost 20 years and is now entering his second consecutive season without knowing who will be the starter in 2021.
“The kind of team we have would be really beneficial for us if we could have someone who can come in and play at a high level, with a veteran view,” said Irsay on Wednesday.
The Colts have a young and talented squad, led by linebacker Darius Leonard and point guard Quenton Nelson, but they have a substantial gap in the quarterback. Veteran Philip Rivers, 39, took the Colts to the playoffs only for the second time since 2014, but announced on January 20 that he would retire after 17 seasons.
Rivers’ retirement means that the Colts could have their fifth quarterback different from Week 1 starting in 2021, after having Peyton Manning or Andrew Luck basically from 1998 to 2019. Newcomer Jacob Eason is the only quarterback currently under contract to the Colts. Jacoby Brissett, who started Week 1 in 2019, is scheduled to be a free agent.
Colts general manager Chris Ballard is convinced that a team is not all about the quarterback; it’s about having a complete list. But there has to be stability in the quarterback, since the four teams that made it to the NFC and AFC Championship Games – Green Bay, Tampa Bay, Kansas City and Buffalo – all have that.
“We believe that we are close, that we have a huge core of players who are able to compete for the Super Bowl very soon,” said Irsay. “Ideally, if you can get someone to come this year who is ready to go, it will give you the best opportunity.”
The Colts are projected to have about $ 69 million in salary cap space, but it’s not really a hot free agent market for the quarterback, as players like Cam Newton and Jameis Winston highlight this group. Ballard did not seem optimistic about calling up a defender in his current position, No. 21, in the first round.
The other option is the commercial market, where Matthew Stafford of Detroit remains attached to the Colts as a possible destination.
Irsay acknowledged that the franchise would gladly welcome back Luck, who suddenly retired in August 2019, if he decides to resume his career. The two did not discuss a possible return, but the owner joked that he would continue to look at his fax machine if the quarterback decided to take a page out of Michael Jordan’s book by sending a message that simply said, “I’m ‘back” as Jordan after his first retirement from the Chicago Bulls.
“He knows how much we would love to have him as a defender, there is no doubt about that,” said Irsay. “But at the same time, we know that to be successful, he has to be the one who says, ‘You know what? I’m ready. I really want to do a bit of history, in new ways’.
Irsay added: “I don’t know if we will see that. I think he is happy. He is raising his daughter. He has a wonderful family. He is a great Colt and he knows he can come back anytime he wants, but at the same time, we respect that he has made that decision. “