Here are the quarterbacks who could be available to the Colts in 2023
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INDIANAPOLIS – The Colts’ 2022 season is finally over. They’ll be picking in the top 5 of the draft. They will be on the hunt for a quarterback — their sixth Week 1 starter in six seasons.
They’ll have possibilities, some more realistic than others.
Here are the rookies and veterans who will be in the mix for needy teams this offseason:
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Derek Carr
The Raiders made an abrupt move just a few weeks ago to permanently bench a quarterback they gave a three-year, $121.5 million extension just last offseason. Carr has left the team and made it clear he’s done with the franchise he has started 142 games for since he arrived in the league in 2014. In that span, he’s thrown 217 touchdowns to 99 interceptions and has a 91.8 rating.
The Colts front office has an affection for Carr’s leadership and moxie and could theoretically have interest in a player who is still just 31 years old. But the quarterback decision has fallen more and more into owner Jim Irsay’s hands this year, and he’s expected to push the need to finally draft a starter like they haven’t since Andrew Luck in 2012. Furthermore, Carr’s top priority is a stable franchise, coming off constant dysfunction with the Raiders, and the Colts’ management of Matt Ryan and Nick Foles this year will almost certainly exclude them if he has other options.
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Technically, Tom Brady could be an option for teams if he decides he’s finished with a Buccaneers franchise that lost a lot of its punch when it hired Todd Bowles. If Brady decides to play another season at age 46, and if he decides to head to a new team, it’s nearly impossible seeing a quarterback with his resume and hunger for control coming to the Colts after the Ryan experiment. We can cross this one off the list immediately.
Even if the Colts draft a rookie, it’s possible they will look into a bridge quarterback to smooth the process. If we’re crossing off the veterans with options, the Colts could move on to quarterbacks who don’t have many choices left in their careers.
Zach Wilson will be one of those after he was benched for a second time by the Jets franchise that drafted him No. 2 overall just two years ago. He’s thrown 15 touchdowns to 18 interceptions so far in 22 starts with an 8-14 record, so it’d be a reclamation project on a dual-threat skill set that hasn’t yet found the consistency, mechanics and leadership skills to be a starting quarterback.
Like Wilson, Mayfield was selected in the top two of the draft and saw the team that took him there move on before an extension. He has also struggled at times with public scrutiny and showing consistent leadership. The difference, if looking for a silver lining, is that he’s put some good stretches of football on film. He came in second for Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2018 with 27 touchdowns and 14 interceptions, and he led the Browns to their first playoff win in decades with 26 touchdowns and eight interceptions in 2020. But he’s also shown a low floor of taking sacks and committing brutal turnovers in crunch time.
The Colts had a chance to trade for Mayfield last offseason and were never very interested. They also are not able to be as choosy this offseason. Mayfield’s personality might not mesh the best with a rookie in waiting, but it could inspire him to put his best effort toward extending his career.
This was another option the Colts had last offseason and chose to pass on, but the circumstances are different — for him and for them. Garoppolo is currently out with a foot injury, but that’s expected to heal soon, possibly in time for a return to the 49ers in the playoffs. Last year, his shoulder surgery was a much trickier situation to navigate.
But he’s also coming off his best season to date, with 16 touchdowns, four interceptions and a 103.0 quarterback rating. That should earn him the right to be somewhat choosy this offseason, with a clear connection to the coaching staff of the Jets as one possibility. He’s more realistic than Brady or Carr, but it still feels like a stretch that he doesn’t find a better playoff contender to play for.
Sam Darnold is in the same boat as Mayfield and Wilson. He’s shown a pulse in five starts with the Panthers, throwing seven touchdowns to one interception and a 105.4 rating. He offers a little as a runner and could possibly add something to Jonathan Taylor in the backfield for a stretch as a rookie gets ready. Unlike Mayfield and Wilson, leadership is considered a strength for Darnold, and it could make him a better bridge to an impressionable rookie.
Some quarterbacks just want opportunities to start and create a film resume for the league, and the Colts looked into a couple last year in Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota. Gardner Minshew will certainly be in that category, as he’s only ever filled in for injury so far in his four-year career. He’s played reasonably well in those moments, throwing 44 touchdowns to 15 interceptions and a 93.1. He has a fun personality but a limited skill set, but it could work as a bridge quarterback for part of a season.
OK, let’s get to the more exciting names. The Colts will have a top-6 pick and will be in their best position to draft a quarterback since they took Andrew Luck at No. 1. They’ll have to trade up to get that high this year, and they might have to if Bryce Young is the one they want. The 2021 Heisman winner was a superstar at Alabama, throwing 80 touchdowns to 12 interceptions and winning a national championship. He comes with size concerns at a listed 6-foot tall and 195 pounds. But he’s the best dual-threat option in this class, and that should be a huge emphasis as the Colts move forward into the future at the position.
C.J. Stroud
If Young goes to the Texans, the next move the Colts could try is to go after the Ohio State quarterback. C.J. Stroud had a tremendous two years throwing to some of the most talented receivers in the country in Columbus, when he racked up 85 touchdowns and 12 interceptions on nearly 70% completion. His accuracy and ball placement are considered the best in the class, though concerns have arisen with his play under pressure and his ability as a runner. Stroud answered plenty of those concerns in the semifinal against Georgia’s elite defense and seems like a lock for a top-10 pick.
The Colts might not get to be the first or second team selecting a quarterback, so they have to keep options open if they miss out on Young or Stroud. Will Levis is currently considered the third-best option in the class, and he makes for a tougher evaluation coming from Kentucky’s run-heavy offense that doesn’t have nearly the talent of Alabama or Ohio State. Levis did play at Penn State before transferring and was unable to win the job there. He’s thrown 43 touchdowns to 23 interceptions over the past two seasons, though his most intriguing skill set are his legs, which created more than 700 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns in his career.
![Florida Gators quarterback Anthony Richardson (15) celebrates with Florida Gators wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (1) after diving into the end zone for a touchdown in the second half against LSU at Steve Spurrier Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, October 15, 2022. [Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun] Ncaa Football Florida Gators Vs Lsu Tigers](https://img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/AA166x84.img?h=200&w=300&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f)
If the Colts want to take a true shot on the ceiling of a prospect, they could fall in love with Anthony Richardson. The Florida quarterback has the most incomplete resume of the first-round possibilities, as he started just one season for a 6-7 Gators team and threw 17 touchdowns to nine interceptions on 53.8% completion. It was his first year in a new system with questionable receivers, though, and the Colts could see lots of room for growth. He ran for 654 yards and nine touchdowns last year, making him the best pure athlete of this crop. This would be a developmental route and would demand a bridge quarterback to give him a chance of success.
Contact Colts insider Nate Atkins at natkins@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @NateAtkins_.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Here are the quarterbacks who could be available to the Colts in 2023