Just last week, Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay had high praise for quarterback Matt Ryan — telling the NFL Network that the team’s big offseason acquisition was “right up there with Peyton Manning” in terms of leadership.
That was then.
By Monday, Colts coach Frank Reich announced the former MVP has been benched for backup Sam Ehlinger — a decision that Irsay reportedly influenced following his team’s loss over the weekend to the Tennessee Titans. The flip-flop is yet another turn on the quarterback carousel in Indianapolis, with Ehlinger set to become the Colts’ sixth starting signal-caller since Andrew Luck abruptly retired in 2019.
But in the big picture, the Colts’ aggressive bid this offseason to try to upgrade at the most important position in sports backfired.
And they aren’t the only ones from the spring who would perhaps like a do-over.
Quarterback trades dominated the offseason with five different high-profile quarterbacks landing in new situations. The Colts traded for Ryan, weeks after dumping Carson Wentz to the Washington Commanders. The Denver Broncos acquired Russell Wilson from the Seattle Seahawks. The Cleveland Browns landed Deshaun Watson in a deal with the Houston Texans, and later sent Baker Mayfield to the Carolina Panthers.
None of the trades have arguably worked out favorably for the teams who acquired the quarterbacks.
The Colts benched Ryan ahead of Sunday’s game against the Commanders. Washington, meanwhile, struggled under Wentz — who is now sidelined with a broken finger. The Broncos are 2-5, with Wilson dealing with multiple injuries and looking dramatically more pedestrian in Denver than the star signal-caller he was in Seattle. Mayfield’s slow start led to the Panthers firing coach Matt Rhule, and the former No. 1 overall pick looks to have lost his job to P.J. Walker. Watson is still serving his 11-game suspension for violating the league’s conduct policy, and the Browns faced heavy scrutiny for acquiring a quarterback who was accused of sexual misconduct by two dozen women.
Simply put, it’s been ugly.
“You want to make sure you make this move that it is truly the best thing for the team and you don’t want to rush into this kind of a judgment,” Reich told reporters about benching Ryan. “I don’t think we did (the latter.)”
Ryan’s benching came after seven games in which he led the league in interceptions (9), fumbles (11) and took the second-most amount of sacks (24). The Colts were 3-3-1, but Ryan looked every bit of 37. Reich said the team’s intention is for Ehlinger to start the rest of the season.
The Colts’ miss on Ryan was costly. While the team only gave up a third-round pick to acquire Ryan from the Atlanta Falcons, Ryan’s contract would leave $18 million on the books should the Colts cut him this coming offseason.
Still, compared to the Broncos, Ryan’s price tag is significantly less daunting than what Denver gave up for Wilson. On top of trading a bevy of draft picks and players, the Broncos signed the 33-year-old to a five-year, $245 million extension that contains $165 million guaranteed. If the Broncos were to cut Wilson in the offseason — and they won’t — the deal would leave an astronomical $105 million left in “dead money,” or the salary cap charge for a player no longer on the roster.
Wilson’s performance with the Broncos has been particularly surprising as the former Super Bowl champion has looked nothing like the game-breaker he was in Seattle. Through six games, Wilson’s quarterback rating of 83.4 and QBR of 35.2 are career lows.
Denver’s situation with first-year coach Nathaniel Hackett hasn’t helped matters, but Wilson’s drop-off is one of the more shocking developments of the season.
The Seahawks, meanwhile, have been just fine. Though they acquired quarterback Drew Lock in the Wilson trade, veteran Geno Smith won the starting job and has led Seattle to a respectable 4-3 start.
“You guys thought we were all (screwed) up,” Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said to Sports Illustrated over the weekend when discussing Seattle’s move from Wilson to Smith.
The Commanders and Panthers have easier outs from their quarterbacks. Mayfield, who Carolina acquired for a conditional fifth-round pick, is a free agent at the end of the season. Wentz can be cut at no cost in 2023, despite having two more years left on his deal.
But the trades haven’t produced the results the teams intended. Wentz went just 2-4 before undergoing finger surgery last week. Mayfield had the Panthers 1-4 until he was sidelined with a foot injury. Both quarterbacks struggled, though Wentz performed better of the two.
Earlier this month, Rivera said he had no regrets about trading for Wentz. This was after he ignited a firestorm by saying that “quarterback” was the reason NFC East rivals had surpassed Washington in their respective rebuilds.
Rivera, who felt his comments were misconstrued as he noted Wentz was a quarterback the Commanders could build around, has said that acclimating a veteran quarterback into a new situation takes time. He pointed to Tampa Bay’s signing of Tom Brady a few years ago — and how the Buccaneers’ offense got off to a slow start before finding a rhythm and eventually winning the Super Bowl.
“Sometimes you get these veteran guys and it takes a little bit of time,” Rivera said in early October.
The Colts’ patience with Ryan, however, already ran out. And this week, when Rivera was asked if he’d be conflicted if Taylor Heinicke seized Washington’s starting job for the rest of the season after knowing the team gave up multiple draft picks for Wentz, the coach deflected — leaving it unclear Wentz would remain the starter when healthy.
“I think this is about playing one game at a time, focusing on one game at a time,” Rivera said, “and when we get to that position, then I’ll deal with it.”
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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