It was not a well-kept secret heading into the offseason that the Indianapolis Colts were targeting a veteran starting quarterback. They were not happy with Jacoby Brissett’s performance following the retirement of Andrew Luck.
Ultimately, head coach Frank Reich and Co. decided on eight-time Pro Bowler Philip Rivers after being linked to him on a never-ending loop. Rivers, 38, signed a one-year, $25 million contract.
According to Reich, Indy did in fact kick the tires on six-time Super Bowl champion signal caller Tom Brady. Without getting into too much detail, the head coach did indicate that he believes Rivers was the right decision. Whether this means the Colts seriously considered Brady prior to him shockingly signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers remains to be seen.
It’s an interesting thing to look at. Despite regressing in his own right last season, Brady performed at a marginally higher clip than Rivers.
- Brady: 60.8% completion, 4,057 yards, 24 TD, 8 INT (88.0 rating)
- Rivers: 66% completion, 4,615 yards, 23 TD, 20 INT (88.5 rating)
However, the former Chargers quarterback was better than his counterpart in 2018.
- Rivers: 68.3% completion, 4,308 yards, 32 TD, 12 INT (105.5 rating)
- Brady: 65.8% completion, 4,355 yards, 29 TD, 11 INT (97.7 rating)
Either way we spin it, both the Colts and Buccaneers upgraded at quarterback. Their success this coming season will certainly be dependent on these two future Hall of Fame quarterbacks living up to their billing.
For the Colts, that includes contention in a top-heavy AFC. The sole reason for signing Rivers was to compete with the Kansas City Chiefs for the conference title.