The Colts undoubtedly will be in the market for a quarterback this offseason.
Perhaps Indianapolis wouldn't be had the franchise bolstered the blockbuster trade it swung in March of last year.
The Colts at the turn of the 2020 NFL year sent a first-round draft pick to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for defensive tackle DeForest Buckner. According to Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer, Jimmy Garoppolo's name came up as the sides negotiated the deal.
"Indianapolis seems like the natural landing spot for (Matthew) Stafford," Breer wrote in his latest Morning Morning Quarterback column. " The question, then, becomes whether GM Chris Ballard and coach Frank Reich would see Stafford as a Band-Aid or more than that. The team went with a Band-Aid last year, in (Philip) Rivers, after taking a shot with Jacoby Brissett in 2019 (and that was after Jimmy Garoppolo’s name briefly came up in the DeForest Buckner trade talks with San Francisco)."
Indy likely would have had to significantly sweeten the pot in order for Garoppolo to be included in last year's trade. Garoppolo was coming off an impressive season in which he threw for nearly 4,000 yards with 27 touchdowns and helped lead the Niners to Super Bowl LIV. But concerns still hovered over Jimmy G even after San Francisco's loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, so it's tough to blame the Colts for choosing not to go all in on the 29-year-old.
The Colts were a solid team with Rivers under center, and their transition to the next quarterback has a chance to be seamless. Stafford, who's on his way out of Detroit, reportedly "has his eyes on" Indianapolis.
