S — The Colts are widely expected to draft their quarterback of the future in April.
In the meantime, Indianapolis has found a veteran backup who can handle the starting role if a young quarterback isn’t ready to go right away.
The Colts have agreed to terms on a one-year, $3.5 million, fully-guaranteed deal that includes another $2 million possible in incentives with former Jaguars and Eagles quarterback Gardner Minshew, a league source confirmed to IndyStar on Thursday night.
Indianapolis released former starting quarterback Matt Ryan on Wednesday, picking up more than $17 million in cap savings, and although veteran Nick Foles remains on the roster, it’s likely Foles also will not be back after just one season with the Colts, leaving Sam Ehlinger as the only returning quarterback in Indianapolis.
Minshew fills a key role for new head coach Shane Steichen.
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For starters, the Colts need an experienced quarterback who can handle the starting role if a potential rookie isn’t ready right away, and Minshew has started 24 games over four seasons in the NFL, including lengthy stints with the Jaguars in 2019 and 2020.
More importantly, Minshew already knows Steichen’s playbook, the terminology and how the new Colts head coach puts a game plan together, making him the perfect quarterback to help tutor a young player in the offense, and to tutor the offense as a whole.
When a new head coach installs his system, it often helps to have veterans who know the ropes to help the rest of the team pick up the terminology and system quickly.
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Unable to hold onto the starting role in Jacksonville despite throwing 37 touchdowns and 11 interceptions over 20 starts, Minshew has spent the last two seasons as the backup quarterback behind Jalen Hurts in Philadelphia, making four starts. Minshew completed 62.5% of his passes in those starts for 1,102 yards, an average of 8.1 yards per attempt, seven touchdowns and four interceptions, going 1-3 in his four starts.
But just as importantly, Minshew's presence doesn't change the franchise's likely course of action in resetting the quarterback position with a rookie to develop.
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Colts owner Jim Irsay already declared the team's intention when Steichen was introduced, citing the new coach's track record of developing Hurts and Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert as one of the deciding factors in the hire.
“You just felt that Shane had a lot of that offensive magic, which is hard to find in this league,” Irsay said. “Offense, in my mind, can be a little more complex. It takes a lot more time to develop, knowing we’re going to have to find a young quarterback to develop, that’s a key factor.”
The task has gotten a little bit more difficult since Irsay said those words.
Indianapolis holds the No. 4 pick in April's draft, a selection that puts the Colts firmly in range to take one of the four quarterbacks expected to be taken in the first round: Alabama's Bryce Young, Ohio State's C.J. Stroud, Florida's Anthony Richardson and Kentucky's Will Levis.
Two of those quarterbacks will almost certainly be off the board by the time the Colts pick.
Carolina, led now by former Colts head coach Frank Reich, pulled off a blockbuster trade with Chicago last week, leaping over the Colts and everybody else into the No. 1 pick. Barring a shocking pick by Houston, the quarterback-desperate Panthers and Texans will take passers with the No. 1 and No. 2 picks.
The possibility remains that Carolina and Houston leave the Colts with a rookie quarterback who needs time to develop. Richardson, in particular, is a raw prospect with outstanding physical tools who might need seasoning, and the same could be said for Levis, who played in pro-style offenses at Kentucky but struggled last year.
Indianapolis general manager Chris Ballard didn't do anything to suggest that the Colts won't be taking a quarterback in April's draft.
But he did suggest that it's possible the Colts go through a transitional year, playing a veteran quarterback while the rookie develops behind him.
"If it works out that way?" Ballard said. "Yeah, it's definitely on the table."
The extra $2 million in incentives baked into Minshew's contract would come into play then.
And even though Minshew's $3.5 million is guaranteed, the Colts managed to find a capable veteran option for a little less money than similar backups around the league.
Former Indianapolis quarterback Jacoby Brissett signed a one-year, $8 million deal in Washington that included $7.5 million guaranteed. Carolina signed veteran Andy Dalton to a two-year, $10 million deal that includes $8 million guaranteed and could rise to $17 million with incentives. Former Washington backup Taylor Heinicke got a two-year, $14 million deal from Atlanta that includes $6.32 million in guarantees and could go higher with incentives.
Minshew's deal is far less than that, signaling at least a temporary end to the Colts paying significant prices for veteran quarterback play. Indianapolis gave Brissett a two-year, $30 million deal when he stepped in for a retiring Andrew Luck in 2019, paid Philip Rivers $25 million to take the Colts to the playoffs in 2020, handed Carson Wentz $21 million in 2021 and paid Ryan $24 million last season, plus another $12 million guaranteed that made an impact on this year's cap. Indianapolis carries $18 million in dead money after releasing Ryan, and a move to release Foles would put another $1.5 million in dead money on the cap.
Assuming the Colts are drafting a quarterback in April, Indianapolis won't be paying anywhere close to those prices in 2023, an important consideration for a roster that has significant needs at wide receiver, offensive line and cornerback moving forward.
All of those moves are still likely forthcoming.
But the Colts have the veteran quarterback they needed.
Who they're drafting to learn from Minshew, and potentially play in front of him, is the big question.
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03-16-2023, 09:47 PM
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