The Colts continue to drag their feet on a definitive decision on Carson Wentz and in the process may have cost themselves dearly.
The news broke early afternoon on Tuesday that Aaron Rodgers would be returning to the Green Bay Packers on a new deal. The actual language of the contract has been disputed as early reports claimed it was a four-year deal worth upwards of $200 million. Rodgers himself confirmed he would be back in Green Bay but said no such contract had been signed and the reports were false.
Hey everyone, just wanted to clear some things up; YES I will be playing with the @packers next year, however, reports about me signing a contract are inaccurate, as are the supposed terms of the contract I “signed”. I’m very excited to be back 💪🏼 #year18❤️
— Aaron Rodgers (@AaronRodgers12) March 8, 2022
Once it looked like the big news of the day would be Rodgers finally ending what seemed like a never-ending saga about his future the Denver Broncos pulled the carpet out from under him as it was announced they made a blockbuster trade with the Seattle Seahawks for quarterback Russell Wilson. The trade was indeed a blockbuster with Denver acquiring Wilson and a 2022 4th round pick while Seattle received quarterback Drew Lock, tight end Noah Fant, defensive lineman Shelby Harris, two first-round picks (the 9th overall pick in this year’s draft and a 2023), two second-round picks (2022-40th overall-and 2023) and a 2022 fifth-round pick.
Trade package:
Seattle gets QB Drew Lock, TE Noah Fant, DL Shelby Harris, two first-round picks, two second-round picks and a fifth-round pick.
Denver gets Russell Wilson and a fourth-round pick.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 8, 2022
Could the Colts have even competed with that offer? They don’t have a first-round pick this year after shipping it to Philadelphia as part of the Wentz deal. I’d counter that a deal that would have included Wentz would have been more enticing to Seattle than Drew Lock, which may have lightened the draft pick compensation. Probably not enough to pull off the deal. But it begs the question: did the Colts even have any inclination Wilson could be had?
For a team that has claimed they want “all chips in” they seem content to once again be sheepish instead of bold. There was just an assumption Wilson wouldn’t land here, almost a defeatist attitude among the fan base. That doesn’t exactly show much confidence in the front office to make moves necessary to actually contend in an even more loaded AFC now with Wilson joining the fray. Free agency is a week away and right now the Colts look like they have zero direction. That could all change when and if they make a decision on Wentz in the coming days but then that open a whole other can of worms as far as who they could acquire. Mitch Trubisky has been getting a lot of buzz as of late and for a guy who saw very limited snaps with the Bills to be one of the top guys in free agency should tell you everything you need to know about the free agent quarterback market.
Could the Colts have landed Aaron Rodgers or Russell Wilson? Probably not. But the next guy on the quarterback carousel could be Jimmy Garoppolo or even Derek Carr and the Colts should at least explore some options if either of those guys become available. They can’t continue to sit and wait or they’ll be stuck at the alter with one of the worst quarterback situations in the entire NFL.
On Tuesday’s edition of Kevin & Query, ESPN’s Field Yates joined the show and discussed why he thinks the Colts will move on from Carson Wentz and who some realistic options could be. You can catch that full interview in the link below and be sure to listen to Kevin & Query every weekday morning from 7-10 on 93.5 & 107.5 The Fan!
Hey everyone, just wanted to clear some things up; YES I will be playing with the @packers next year, however, reports about me signing a contract are inaccurate, as are the supposed terms of the contract I “signed”. I’m very excited to be back 💪🏼 #year18❤️
— Aaron Rodgers (@AaronRodgers12) March 8, 2022
