After one frustrating season, the Indianapolis Colts have moved on from quarterback Carson Wentz, sending him to the Washington Commanders in a trade. The question now is, who’s next? One possibility is Jimmy Garoppolo, who is being shopped by the San Francisco 49ers.
Shortly after Wentz was traded, Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network speculated that the Colts would likely be “in the mix” for Garoppolo. That interest was later confirmed by Jordan Schultz.
The #Colts have now entered the QB race again, and expect them to be in the mix for Jimmy Garoppolo, as well.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 9, 2022
#Colts will “strongly consider” Jimmy Garoppolo as they pursue a new starting QB, a league source says.
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) March 9, 2022
That had NFL fans talking. Not everyone was excited about the possibility.
Just no Jimmy G please🤮
— Colts Coverage (@Colts_Coverage) March 9, 2022
The Colts going from Carson Wentz to Jimmy G pic.twitter.com/Dl3DgFkOL9
— Thomas Carrieri (@Thomas_Carrieri) March 9, 2022
Colts should either get Teddy Bridgewater or try and acquire a Gardner Minshew type guy. Going after Jimmy Garoppolo makes zero sense.
— JAKE ELLENBOGEN (@JKBOGEN) March 9, 2022
However, that skepticism was not universal.
I think the Colts are one of few places where Jimmy G could work
— Ted Nguyen (@FB_FilmAnalysis) March 9, 2022
From everything i heard in Indianapolis this past week, the Colts would covet a player like Jimmy G for the intangibles as much as the on the field product
Say what you want about his play, but it's become clear how much his teammates adore him, which is a big deal to the Colts
— Jordan Elliott (@splash_cousin) March 9, 2022
Football players are human beings and there is years worth of evidence that point to Jimmy Garoppolo being someone that players are eager to rally behind and share a locker room with
The Colts organization places a high value on the kind of intangibles that Jimmy G has in spades https://t.co/3PYRmwkCF3
— Jordan Elliott (@splash_cousin) March 9, 2022
jimmy g > carson wontz. @ me all you want, if colts get garoppolo, issa upgrade.
— crys; 🏈 (@crystalscuor) March 9, 2022
Jimmy Garoppolo can succeed when he has good complimentary pieces around him.
The Colts offer that on both sides of the ball and if Indy was frustrated with Carson Wentz's leadership qualities, Garoppolo fills that void as well.
Full show: https://t.co/rqB4jjY4Jh@ChatSports pic.twitter.com/mRStRrca09
— Chase Senior (@Chase_Senior) March 9, 2022
Colts offense DVOA this past season…
#2 run
#20 passIt wasn’t working with Carson Wentz but Jonathan Taylor is a stud as are some of those O-linemen. Good on Indy for recouping some capital for Wentz.
And yes, Jimmy Garoppolo is a candidate to improve that obvious weakness
— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) March 9, 2022
Of course, everything would depend upon how much the Colts would have to give to acquire Garoppolo. But based on 2021, he’d be an upgrade over Wentz.
Wentz did throw for more touchdowns and fewer interceptions than Garoppolo in 2021. But Garoppolo completed 68.3% of his passes, while Wentz was at 62.4%. Garoppolo’s 98.7 passer rating was also better than Wentz’s 94.6.
Garoppolo also threw for more yards than Wentz (3,810 to 3,563). This was despite the fact that the Niners QB played in two fewer games and attempted 75 fewer passes.
No, Garoppolo wouldn’t make Colts fans forget about the prime years of Peyton Manning — or even Andrew Luck. But he would be an upgrade over Wentz. And given that the Colts narrowly missed the playoffs in 2021, even a minor upgrade could be all that’s needed. He’d also bring stability to a team that hasn’t had a lot of it under center in recent seasons.
Garoppolo isn’t perfect by any means. But as long as the price isn’t outrageous, it’s easier to side with the people who like this possibility.
[Ian Rapoport, Jordan Schultz]
