Colts QB options: Aaron Rodgers, Jimmy Garoppolo, Will Levis among best replacements for Matt Ryan in 2023
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The Colts have had a different Week 1 starter at quarterback every year since Andrew Luck’s final season in 2018. That streak could well continue into 2023.
Indianapolis’ current starter, Matt Ryan, hasn’t performed well as a starter in 2023. The 37-year-old has struggled with turnovers and sacks and was benched as a result of his performance in the final gasps of the Frank Reich era.
Ryan returned to the starting lineup under interim coach Jeff Saturday, but so far, the results have been mixed.
MORE: Why the Colts briefly benched Matt Ryan for Sam Ehlinger
While he looked good against the Raiders, Ryan simply hasn’t been consistently productive. His decision-making hasn’t been good and his lack of mobility has been a burden behind a surprisingly porous offensive line.
To boot, Ryan is set to have a cap hit of $35,205,882 in 2023 with a dead-cap hit of just $18 million. That could prove to be the death knell for his short-lived time with the Colts.
Either way, it certainly seems like Indianapolis will be searching for yet another new starting quarterback. And per usual, the team will utilize every possible resource to find the right successor.
But who are those potential successors? Here’s a look at some of the Colts’ options to replace Ryan during the 2023 NFL offseason.
TRADE DETAILS: What Colts gave up to acquire Matt Ryan during 2022 offseason
Aaron Rodgers
In recent years, several top quarterbacks have become available via trade. Could Aaron Rodgers be next? It certainly seems possible.
The Packers have bottomed out so far in 2022, and they have struggled to find success on offense without Davante Adams. Rodgers has been part of the problem there, but he is also playing through a broken thumb in his throwing hand. As such, teams may show an interest in the two-time reigning MVP if they believe he can get healthy and bounce back.
Pursuing Rodgers would undeniably be a risk for the Colts, however, and they may not be willing to trade assets for another veteran after their experience with Ryan. That said, Rodgers’ name may be bandied about as an option, but the team would probably prefer other alternatives to acquiring another expensive, veteran stopgap.
Jordan Love
Rodgers may not be an option for the Packers, but Love could be. The former first-round pick in 2020 has continued to sit and wait for his chance to start behind Rodgers, but it may never come given that Green Bay re-signed Rodgers to a three-year deal.
The Packers are due to make a decision about Love’s fifth-year option this offseason, too. If they are leaning toward declining it, they may try to offload him for whatever draft capital they can get. That would allow them to recoup an asset for him while another team could get at least two-year trial run with Love.
Love made one NFL start in 2021 and completed 19 of 34 passes for 190 yards, one touchdown and one interception. The 24-year-old hasn’t proven much to date but he has a big arm and is still young. The Colts could certainly pursue him if they aren’t sure whether they will land a quarterback they like in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Jimmy Garoppolo
The trade market may not bear many fruits during the 2023 NFL offseason, so the Colts may turn their attention to veterans in free agency. Colts fans may want the team to pursue the likes of Lamar Jackson and Tom Brady, but the odds of either landing in Indianapolis are slim.
Still, there are some solid veteran stopgaps available that could serve as effective bridges to a quarterback of the future. Colts fans may groan at that idea, but given the rocky road the team has had at quarterback since Andrew Luck retired, landing even a decent multi-year starter could help stabilize the team.
Garoppolo is exactly that. The 31-year-old isn’t among the best quarterbacks in the league, but he is an effective game manager who limits mistakes. He has a 39-17 record as a starter entering Week 13 and has completed 67.4 percent of his passes for 2,381 yards, 16 touchdowns and four interceptions this season.
Garoppolo would probably perform well with Michael Pittman Jr., Alec Pierce and Jonathan Taylor at his disposal, so perhaps he could turn the Colts’ offense into a solid unit. Add in that he won’t cost a boatload of money and Garoppolo represents one of the top options that the Colts could pursue.
MORE: How Colts changed Matt Ryan’s contract after acquiring him
Daniel Jones
The Colts could look for more upside than Garoppolo on the market, and Jones could provide that. The No. 6 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft struggled early in his career but has found something under Brian Daboll and Mike Kafka in his fourth season.
Like Garoppolo, Jones’ numbers won’t wow you, but he has a 7-4 record as a starter and has completed 64.6 percent of his passes for 2,165 yards, 10 touchdowns and just four interceptions. The 25-year-old, who is affectionately known as “Vanilla Vick” to Saquon Barkley has some dual-threat ability and has run for a career-high 451 yards and four touchdowns.
The biggest improvement for Jones has been his ability to avoid turnovers. He has just four fumbles this year, by far the fewest of his career, and if he can keep protecting the ball, he will continue to be a solid starter.
Will the Giants let Jones go? It doesn’t seem likely given the team’s success. But if he does somehow shake free, he could be worth a gamble for a Colts team that hasn’t had much mobility at the quarterback spot over the last few years.
Geno Smith
The mid-tier free-agent quarterbacks dry up quickly after Garoppolo and Jones, but Smith could be worth a shot for the Colts if Seattle decides to move in another direction.
Smith has been one of the biggest surprises in the NFL this season. The 32-year-old hadn’t been an every-week starter since 2014, but he has found a lot of success in replacing Russell Wilson in Pete Carroll’s offense.
Smith has completed a league-high 72.8 percent of his passes and has 2,802 yards, 19 touchdowns and five interceptions on the season. He has been hyper-accurate and has been a big part of Seattle’s 6-5 start to the season.
Can Smith find success outside of Seattle? Trusting him to do so would be a risk, but it might be one the Colts are willing to take, especially if they are left to choose between Smith and somebody like Jacoby Brissett, who has already tried his hand as Indianapolis’ starter.
Bryce Young or CJ Stroud
Indianapolis will probably sign a veteran quarterback in free agency — especially if Ryan either retires or is cut by the team — but that may not be their long-term starter. The team could finally invest another high-end draft pick in a quarterback after skirting that issue following Luck’s retirement.
The 2023 NFL Draft class was once thought to be a potential goldmine at quarterback. It’s not quite that anymore, but there are still plenty of strong-looking prospects at the position.
Still, two stand out above the rest: Alabama’s Bryce Young and Ohio State’s CJ Stroud. The two each have elite-level skill sets and could develop into quality starters at the NFL level.
The only problem is that the Colts probably won’t be positioned to draft either. They currently own the 14th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, and both quarterbacks seem likely to go in the top five — if not, top three.
Still, if the Colts continue to lose and their pick improves, they may be positioned to trade up for a quarterback. If they like Young or Stroud (or both) enough to do so, they could go all-in on one and bank on them becoming the team’s franchise quarterback.
Of course, that takes a willing trade partner, but the Colts may be in luck. The Bears currently own the No. 2 pick and already have Justin Fields, who has shown growth under Luke Getsy this season. If Chicago stays there, the team can sell that pick for a king’s ransom.
And the Colts may just be the team willing to pay that to end their longstanding quarterback problem.
MORE: Updated 2023 NFL Draft order, including where the Colts are picking
Will Levis
The Colts need the right combination of right and wrong to come together in order for them to have a chance at landing Young or Stroud. The same might not be true of Levis. The Kentucky quarterback is thought to have a strong skill set and seems likely to be a first-round pick.
Levis could go in the top 10. He has a well-built 6-3, 222-pound frame, a solid arm and good mobility, so he checks a lot of boxes for teams. That said, it remains possible that he could slip to the Colts’ pick at 14 — or, more likely, that the Colts could slip into his potential draft range as the season continues.
Levis has completed 65.4 percent of his passes for 2,406 yards, 19 touchdowns and 10 interceptions during the 2022 season with the Wildcats.
Hendon Hooker
Hooker would be an intriguing boom-or-bust option for the Colts. No quarterback prospect was rising faster than him before he suffered a torn ACL in Tennessee’s blowout loss against South Carolina.
Hooker was the Heisman favorite and a potential first-round pick. Now, he is a big mystery because of his knee.
Still, there’s no denying that Hooker has talent. He was a prolific passer for the Volunteers, completing 69.6 percent of his passes for 3,135 yards, 27 touchdowns and just two interceptions while adding 430 yards and five touchdowns on the ground.
At 6-4, 218 pounds, Hooker has a great combination of athleticism and arm talent, but his accuracy is what would give him a chance to find success right away at the NFL level.
Had he not been hurt, Hooker probably would have been a top-20 pick, and he still could be. He could also slip to Day 2 if teams have questions about when he will be ready to play. Either way, he has grand-slam potential, so the Colts could consider taking a swing at him — provided that they have a good enough veteran stopgap to start until he is healthy.
Bo Nix
Here’s one more wild card the Colts could draft. Nix was once considered a first-round prospect, but his career went awry at Auburn. However, he has improved his play significantly at Oregon and could end up pushing to be a first-round pick. As it stands, he seems likely to be selected on Day 2 of the 2023 NFL Draft at a minimum.
Nix has completed 71.5 percent of his passes for 3,388 yards, 27 touchdowns and six interceptions during his lone season at Oregon. He has thrown the ball well and has markedly improved his accuracy and ball placement, which should allow him to find success at the NFL level.
Nix is also a mobile player, as he has run for 504 yards and a whopping 14 touchdowns with the Ducks.
Nix would be another potential boom pick for the Colts. There would be some bust potential, as many saw during his time at Auburn, but provided that he doesn’t regress, he could develop into an NFL starter.