Owner Jim Irsay: Colts Need Veteran QB

As the Indianapolis Colts weigh their quarterback options in the offseason, owner Jim Irsay conceded the best solution would be to add a proven passer.

INDIANAPOLIS — As his team enters an important offseason in search of players at key positions to upgrade the roster, Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay acknowledges what would be best in solving the most important spot.

The Colts have a strong core led by All-Pros Quenton Nelson, Darius Leonard, and DeForest Buckner, but ideally need a veteran quarterback to legitimize the team as Super Bowl contenders.

Irsay, 61, is always mindful of the big picture. He’s reiterated for years his goal to have a team capable of winning multiple Super Bowls. It’s not enough to just get there and win once, as the Colts did in 2007.

He wore his large Super Bowl XLI ring for a Wednesday video call, which touched on various topics in a 40-minute “State of the Colts’ address.

Irsay trusts general manager Chris Ballard, head coach Frank Reich, and others will come up with the smartest solution to keep the Colts trending in a positive direction after an 11-5 season and AFC Wild Card Playoff loss at Buffalo.

Specifically, Irsay was asked about a sense of urgency in solving the quarterback position this offseason.

“I think there is and I think it was mentioned early and I’ll mention it now that we feel that – look the type of team we have, it would really benefit us the most if we could get someone to come in that can play at a high level, that has veteran vision, veteran understandings of picking up things quickly so we can get into 2021 and really have a chance to kind of if you will take off where we left off but just tweaking some things so we are an even better football team,” Irsay said.

“I really believe we can do that. I don’t know what path is going to be the best path. There are just so many multiple scenarios that you can put together, but there is no question that if there is an individual or individuals out there that can come in that have experience.”

The Colts bought themselves a one-year extension for $25 million in 2020 with the signing of 17th-year quarterback Philip Rivers, who retired last week. They’re expected to be interested in Detroit Lions all-time leading passer Matthew Stafford, who is reportedly available in trade.

“I think that’s what helped so much this year with Philip Rivers is, boy you have this guy coming in and he has no learning curve,” Irsay said. “He is like a coach on the field. It was just really positive for the type of team we had because we had a lot of excellent pieces in place and he helped get us there quicker.

“That would be ideal but again, I’ve always said, I’m interested in winning more than one Super Bowl this decade and that’s what means the most and that’s our biggest goal. So, I’m not just going to go all-in for today and just say forget the future, let’s just try to go all-in now and forget about this consistency of greatness and winning more than one Super Bowl because that’s really what you want to do.”

Colts owner Jim Irsay stands with head coach Frank Reich (middle) and general manager Chris Ballard when Reich was hired in 2018 :: Brian Spurlock/USA TODAY Sports

Ballard and Reich have led the Colts to the playoffs in two of their three years together. Since Ballard arrived in 2017, he’s had success in the draft and managed the salary cap well. The Colts are expected to have an estimated $68 million in space, which is among the NFL leaders, which means they can afford any quarterback out there.

While the list of possibilities is lengthy, most of the veteran players aren’t regarded as quarterbacks to build a team around.

“I know when I look at Chris Ballard, Frank Reich, and what we are trying to accomplish, we want to be that team that won two (Super Bowls) at least,” Irsay said. “That’s really important to the franchise and we’re always going to look at it — I won’t say in the long term because I think our roster dictates that you look at it in the short term because we know how close we are and what the full draft, free agency, we’re in a good cap situation with Anthony (Castonzo) and Philip (Rivers) retiring. That opens more money. That’s important because the cap will be affected by the pandemic and those sorts of financial losses. I think that’s what is exciting news is as well for Colts fans is we’re in good cap shape and that’s important.”

As much as the uncertainty at quarterback could be considered a looming issue for the franchise, Irsay sees the solution as an opportunity. The Colts have the 21st overall draft choice in the first round of April’s draft, so moving up to select one of the higher-rated quarterbacks would come at a premium cost. And Ballard covets his picks, so he’s not expected to part with several for this draft and future drafts, which is what moving up would require.

“First and foremost, I’d say in talking with Chris, Frank, and myself, our beliefs are we are close,” the owner said. “We have a tremendous nucleus of players that are capable of competing for the Super Bowl very soon. So ideally, if you can get someone to come in this year and several years after who is ready to go, it gives you your best opportunity and you don’t have as much of a maturation aspect of seeing them develop and get to that level that they need to get so you can get to a Super Bowl and win it.

“That being said, we’ll just have to see where opportunity pushes us because we really would love to be able to get a great young quarterback. Obviously, there are some out there that have been talked about coming out in this draft and we really just have to really evaluate and see where we are with them. If you would’ve asked (then-GM) Bill Polian and I this time of year in 1998, we couldn’t have told you yet about Peyton Manning and Ryan Leaf and how that thing would’ve sorted out. So there is a lot of work to be done.”