Indianapolis Colts coach Frank Reich may want Philip Rivers back in 2021, but the quarterback appears uncertain about his football future, and so does team management. Truth be told, the Colts were always going to face QB questions after 2020, considering they only inked the 39-year-old signal-caller to a one-year contract last offseason. Regardless of whether Rivers returns, however, general manager Chris Ballard is well aware Indy needs a long-term solution under center. Addressing reporters Thursday, he acknowledged the Colts will explore first-round QB prospects this year, saying "that position never leaves my mind."
Ballard prefaced his comments by poking fun at the media's insistence on asking him about QBs: "Go back and look at first-round quarterbacks drafted over the last 10 years," he said. "It is not an exact (science). I mean, everybody just thinks you take one and you're gonna fix the problem. Look, taking one'll get ya'll off my ass for a little bit. But the second that guy doesn't play well, I'm (gonna) be the first one run out of the building."
But as he continued, Ballard validated questions about the Colts' long-term QB situation, which hasn't been resolved since Andrew Luck's abrupt retirement prior to the 2019 season.
"I promise you, we get the importance of the quarterback position," he said. "But the difference between just taking one and taking the right one is the key, in our minds. We'll explore it. We'll examine it. We'll go to A to Z on it, I promise you. That position never leaves my mind. And it's something that we wanna get fixed, but there's gotta be a little bit of timing and luck when you get it."
The Colts currently hold the 21st overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
