Here’s Why Colts Ultimately Decided To Sign Philip Rivers, Not Tom Brady

A pair of veteran quarterbacks left their long-time teams in free agency for a fresh start elsewhere.

Philip Rivers mutually parted ways with the Los Angeles Chargers after 16 years with the organization to sign with the Indianapolis Colts, while Tom Brady shocked the world when he left the New England Patriots after 20 seasons for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

It begged the question: Did the Colts have the ability to sign Brady, but opted for Rivers instead?

According to Indy Star’s Joel. A. Erickson, Colts head coach Frank Reich and general manager Chris Ballard scouted the 42-year-old in free agency and Reich “liked what he saw.”

But as much as they liked Brady, Rivers seemed like a better fit.

“We really felt like Philip was the right guy for us,” Reich said, via Erickson.

In no way did Reich want to discredit Brady, however.

“I watched all of his tape from the last two years,” Reich said. “I think he’s still playing at a super, super-high level. We know he’s the best of all time for a reason. … I don’t understand how he’s doing it. He still threw a couple of balls in games, and I’m saying, ‘How is the guy throwing the ball this far?’ He’s incredible.”

It certainly will be interesting to see how each quarterback performs with their new team. And only time will tell if Rivers really is the “right guy” for Indianapolis.

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