Well, it’s back to ground zero for the Indianapolis Colts at the quarterback position once again since Andrew Luck’s sudden retirement.
The Carson Wentz era was one-and-done after the awful season-ending collapse and the reports of issues with his leadership within the locker room. The question is where do Chris Ballard and Frank Reich go from here?
The dream scenarios of Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson died on the same day. Even if you remove the off-field issues for Deshaun Watson, there is no chance the Houston Texans trade him to a division rival.
The odds of finding a long-term solution are very slim for the Colts who are now down to some limited quarterback options on the market but there is one quarterback they could bring in and could potentially be the guy.
Could Ballard put together a deal for the likes of a Jimmy Garoppolo? Sure, but at this point, we know what Jimmy G is. He can win some games with a good roster. But that likely ends in either him missing time with an injury, barely missing the playoffs, or an early exit in the playoffs.
The AFC is heavily crowded with some of the best quarterbacks in the league and Indianapolis has to take as many chances at the position until they get the guy that can compete with players like Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert.
This is why I believe the move that Ballard should do is reach out to the Green Bay Packers about a trade for Jordan Love.
Do we know if Love can be a franchise quarterback? Not at all but it is certainly worth the gamble to find out if he can be or not. With the news of Rodgers staying in Green Bay for potentially four more seasons (TBD), it really doesn’t make sense that the Packers would sit Love on the bench for his entire rookie contract then have to pay him without knowing who he is.
Plus, at some point, Love is going to want to play and start furthering his development with some time on the field. If he doesn’t want to play the waiting game, then he could have a great landing spot in a quarterback-friendly offense with one of the best running backs in the league and a solid offensive line.
What would be the cost? Love was the No. 26 pick in the 2020 NFL draft but has only started one game in his two seasons so his trade value is a little questionable. Of course, Green Bay would like to get a first-round pick for him and teams would like to pluck him away for a day-three pick.
The most recent comparison would be Josh Rosen being traded to the Miami Dolphins. Even that deal is a difficult comparison. He was the No. 10 overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft and started 13 games for the Arizona Cardinals.
In the following NFL draft, he was traded for a second-round pick and a fifth-round pick. Senior Bowl director, Jim Nagy heard from scouts in the league that they think Love could go for a second-round pick.
Just hit up a few NFL scouts about potential asking price for Jordan Love. Most think Packers could get a 2nd round pick for him. Feeling is talent & upside worth that roll of dice.
— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) March 8, 2022
For a second-round pick, it is totally worth the roll of the dice to see if the Colts can tap into this young quarterback’s potential. Not saying that Green Bay would take it, but Ballard could try to trade the third-round pick that he got for Wentz that can turn into a second-round pick based on Wentz’s playing time with the Washington Commanders.
The best part about acquiring Love is that he would barely make an indent on the salary cap and they could use all the cap space they have to fill out the roster in other areas.
According to Over The Cap, these are his remaining cap hits on his rookie contract:
2022: $3.37M
2023: $3.94M
2024: Fifth-Year Option
Trading for Love is a low-risk move that can offer a high reward if Frank Reich can get the best out of this prospect. The Colts need to lean into the Ron Wolf philosophy on quarterbacks and acquire as much talent at the position until you found your answer.
If Love is that dude, then not only there is a rookie contract to take advantage of but Ballard won’t have to spend another offseason finding a new quarterback. If he comes in and he’s not it, you don’t have to do the fifth-year option and he’s only owed $3.94M in 2023. Then it’s on to the better quarterback draft class in 2023.
A veteran move is the safest one that the Colts can make to get back into the playoffs for the upcoming season but if Indianapolis wants to sustain success for the next decade in the crowded AFC then they should take a shot on Jordan Love and see if he can bring some continuity at the quarterback position for once.
What do you think, Colts fans? Should Indy go after Jordan Love? Let us know in the comments below!
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