INDIANAPOLIS – While much of Chris Ballard’s pre-draft presser was dedicated towards this week’s draft, the Colts GM still touched on his busy month of March.
This was the first time Ballard had publicly commented on the notable moves for Philip Rivers, DeForest Buckner and Xavier Rhodes.
What did Ballard have to say about those decisions?
QB-Philip Rivers
While Ballard knows that, on paper, giving a 38-year-old $25 million looks like a stopgap move that is vastly different from the GM’s normal approach, he points out the nature of the position played by Philip Rivers.
“I think the quarterback position is a little bit different than the rest of them,” Ballard said. “This situation was a little bit unique.
“Because it is the quarterback position, and because of (Rivers’) stature, it just made it a unique opportunity. You have a potential Hall of Fame quarterback hit the market that has history with both our head coach and offensive coordinator.”
That familiarity clearly was a massive factor in the Colts making this move, and thus moving Jacoby Brissett back to being QB No. 2.
Despite the Colts having by far the most quarterback money invested into the position for 2020 of any team in the league, the books are clean for that spot in 2021.
“Even with both (Rivers and Brissett) under contract, it doesn’t hurt us long-term,” Ballard says. “Mike Bluem, our cap guy, has done such a tremendous job with the cap and our cash that we are in a unique spot here in being able to do this. From a cap standpoint, sometimes you wouldn’t be able to make these moves.
“We are fortunate to have both of these guys on the roster, at the same time. As we go forward, we will figure out what we need to do at the position. For now, we feel pretty good about the position.”
DT-DeForest Buckner
The question was a fair one to Chris Ballard.
Was the decision to give up the No. 13 overall pick for defensive tackle DeForest Buckner (the NFL’s first such trade of that pick value for a defensive tackle in more than 20 years) difficult?
Nope, not even for the guy who loves his draft picks.
“It was easy. I thought it was very easy,” Ballard said of the decision. “Here’s a 26-year-old, who has everything we stand for. He’s got high character. He’s a producer. All you have to do was put on the Super Bowl. The great players produce in the great games. Just watch the Super Bowl. That guy played his ass off. And he was disruptive the entire game.
“He’s durable. He’s got the character. He plays a premium position in this defense. It was an easy decision, easy decision. I know the 13th pick is a high price. But we haven’t made a lot of big moves like this. A chance to acquire a player of this caliber, with his character, I thought it was a no brainier.”
This move just reiterates what Ballard thinks of Buckner, who does play a position that means a ton to the Colts defense performing at a higher level.
“I held my freakin’ breath, praying that it was going to get done,” Ballard added.
“I couldn’t be more pleased getting this young man into this organization. Premium players cost a premium price. That’s the cost of a great player and we are going to have some more coming up here in the next couple of years on our own team that are going to cost a lot of money. That’s the cost of having good players. At the end of the day, I thought the 13th pick versus DeForest was a no brainier.”
CB-Xavier Rhodes
The biggest surprise subtraction the Colts made in March was releasing Pierre Desir.
“Pierre was tough because he’s such a great kid and human being,” Ballard said. “But, at the end of the day, we made a decision that we thought was the best thing for the team, this year and going forward.
So, out went the 29-year-old Desir, and in comes the 29-year-old Xavier Rhodes, who was an All-Pro in 2017, before back-to-back subpar years in 2018-29.
“We have a coach, Jonathan Gannon, who has history with (Rhodes), and also (safety coaches Alan Williams),” Ballard says of the on-staff familiarity with Rhodes. “Saying that, this guy has been a Pro Bowl corner in the league. He’s only 29 years old. He’s got some unique traits. And we think we can get him back to playing at that level. I think he’s pretty hungry. I think being released by Minnesota sparked a fire in him. It’s going to be fun to watch him play with a chip on his shoulder. I think he can still be a high performer for us.”
