Byron Jewell | March 19th, 2020
The Indianapolis Colts came to an agreement with the long-time quarterback of the Los Angeles Chargers Philip Rivers on a one-year $25 million deal Tuesday, March 17th. The deal will set up the veteran to be the team’s new starting quarterback for the 2020 season. It was a move that many saw coming in recent weeks, as the 38-year-old Rivers was seen as too good of a fit for a Colts team who thinks they are in what is essentially win-now mode.
The Charger legend is currently sixth all-time with 59,271 passing yards and sixth in touchdowns (397). His 224 consecutive regular-season starts are the second-most all-time. The Colts will very much take that kind of proven success over the likes of previous starting quarterback, Jacoby Brissett. Brissett, who went 7-8 as a starter in 2019, didn’t throw for a TD nor throw for over 200 yards in the last three games of the season. The team did deal with injuries at the wideout position but Brissett’s lack of aggressiveness and check-down mentality was ultimately the deciding factor for the Andrew Luck replacement, thus likely ending the former Patriots backup playing days as a Colt.
Philip Rivers should transition well to playing with Indianapolis. Colts head coach Frank Reich and offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni coached Rivers together back in San Diego. Frank Reich is well-known for his work with quarterbacks as he was fittingly the Chargers’ QB coach back in 2013 and he proved he can bring out the best in Rivers that season. The Bolts’ quarterback led the NFL in completion percentage at 69.5% while also throwing for 4,478 yards and 32 touchdowns. He also proved to take care of the ball which admittedly is the biggest knock on Rivers (besides not winning a Super Bowl), only tossing 11 interceptions that season. Indy will have the best offensive line unit Rivers will have ever played with a majority of the games played indoors at home in Lucas Oil Stadium which is an appealing and beneficial aspect for an aging quarterback.
The Colts ultimately feel like they have a roster they think is too good to waste on another year of Jacoby Brissett running the show for them. They found someone better for the stop-gap quarterback spot. This move gives Colts general manager Chris Ballard and the franchise more time to look for someone to hand the keys to in the future as they feel more relaxed now about their current quarterback situation for another year and look to push for the playoffs.
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