2020 Colts’ position review: Quarterbacks

As the offseason begins for the Indianapolis Colts, we will begin a series of positional reviews, taking a look back at the 2020 campaign. We start it off with the quarterback position.

Starter: Philip Rivers
Backup: Jacoby Brissett
Depth: Jacob Eason

Position Overview

The Colts brought in Rivers on a one-year deal worth $25 million in free agency. He replaced Brissett as the starter, who took over in 2019 for the recently-retired Andrew Luck. The Colts also selected Eason in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL draft, and he wound up beating out Chad Kelly for the QB3 role.

Philip Rivers’ Resurgence

There were plenty of question marks about the play of Rivers entering the 2020 season but he quickly put those to rest. Rivers completed 68% of his passes for 4,169 yards, 24 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He showed a true command of the offense while putting on a clinic against the blitz.

With so many questions about the quarterback position last season, Rivers gave the Colts a chance to win week in a week out. He had his quintessential moments where he takes an unnecessary shot down the field or tries to fit a ball in too tight of a window.

But Rivers was arguably the MVP for the Colts throughout the 2020 season and they certainly wouldn’t have gotten as far as they did without him.

Offseason Outlook

Following the news of Rivers’ retirement, the Colts have plenty of decisions to make. Do they try to sign a stop-gap veteran? Do they trade up in the draft to grab a potential franchise quarterback? What do they have in Jacob Eason? Will Brissett return on a short deal?

These questions are vital to the process for the Colts. There may not be a lot of options readily available to them without making some big moves either via trade, free agency or the draft. But it remains the Colts’ biggest need.

List

6 QBs for Colts to consider after Philip Rivers' retirement