With rumors circulating that the Indianapolis Colts could make a play for Baltimore Ravens superstar Lamar Jackson after the NFL Draft, the team’s new head coach opened up about the possibility.
The Indianapolis Colts have a primary goal this offseason: Find their next franchise quarterback. The organization was very lucky for a long time. Over a 21-year period, the Colts had the good fortune of having Hall-of-Famer Peyton Manning and four-time Pro Bowler Andrew Luck under center for 19 seasons over the last couple of decades. However, after Luck’s shocking retirement in 2019, the team has struggled to find a long-term answer at QB.
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Since then they have used multiple veteran quarterbacks, including Carson Wentz, and most recently Matt Ryan. Unfortunately for the Indianapolis Colts, those well-aged players did not deliver the results the team was hoping for.
This offseason, the goal for the franchise seems to be to find a young talent who can be a long-term fixture at the position. Most assume they will select a QB in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, and the team reportedly looked into trading up to the top spot in the event. But, with the team picking at four, there are some questions if a worthy talent will be available at that part of the draft.
Indianapolis Colts record (2022): 4-12, third place in AFC South
That is why some around the league continue to speculate that the Indianapolis Colts could jump into the nonexistent Lamar Jackson market after the draft. The one-time NFL MVP has a non-exclusive franchise tag on him but no team has yet to reportedly make a move to try and sign him or call the Ravens about a trade.
With the speculation increasing as we get close to the draft, new Colts head coach Shane Steichen was recently asked about the chance of an “alternative” quarterback move like Jackson soon. And the former Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator gave a very safe response to the inquiry.
“We’re focused on the draft and I’m focused on the players that are in the building right now.”
– Shane Steichen on Lamar Jackson rumors (via Zak Keefer)
The Indianapolis Colts have been doing their homework and taking meetings with many of the top QB prospects in this year’s draft, including Bryce Young, CJ Stroud, and Anthony Richardson.