Indianapolis Colts had interest in Marcus Mariota before Wentz trade
The Indianapolis Colts traded for Carson Wentz in the offseason to be their franchise quarterback. Now, Wentz is set to miss 5-12 weeks after undergoing foot surgery, according to Adam Schefter. In the meantime, the Colts must find an answer at quarterback, and Las Vegas Raiders backup Marcus Mariota appears to be a potential option.
The Colts have a few rumored targets
According to independent reporter Dov Kleiman on Twitter, the Colts could have interest in pursuing a number of quarterback options, including Nick Foles, Jimmy Garoppolo or Mariota. Foles is currently in the second year of a three-year, $24 million contract he signed with the Chicago Bears. He is likely to open the season as the third quarterback on Chicago’s depth chart behind Andy Dalton and rookie Justin Fields. Foles took over for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2018 when Wentz suffered a torn ACL. Remarkably, Foles led the Eagles to a Super Bowl victory.
Meanwhile, Garoppolo appears to be the leading candidate to open the season as the San Francisco 49ers’ starting quarterback. He is entering the fourth season of a five-year, $137.5 million contract. The 49ers traded up to select North Dakota State quarterback with the third overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. This has left uncertainty around Garoppolo’s future in San Francisco. If the 49ers decide that they are ready to roll with Lance as its starter, Garoppolo could be a real candidate for the Colts to pursue.
Mariota is the most realistic option
Unlike Foles or Garoppolo, Mariota does not have major money owed to him. Additionally, Mariota’s contract is up at the end of the season. If the Colts are looking for a cheaper option, Mariota and his one-year, $3.5 million contract might be a good fit.
Mariota was the Tennessee Titans starting quarterback for full four seasons. In his career, he has completed 62.9% of his passes, throwing for 13,433 yards, 77 touchdowns and 45 interceptions and has added 1,487 yards and 12 touchdowns rushing, Mariota has only played in eight games since the end of the 2018 season, he has been rumored as a potential starting quarterback option for many teams, including the Colts, over the last year.
Back when the Colts traded for Wentz, they acquired a player in need of a major bounce back. Wentz has suffered a few injuries in his career, and he was very inconsistent in 2020 with Philadelphia. Wentz threw for 2,620 yards in 12 games with 16 touchdowns, 15 interceptions and a quarterback rating of just 49.6.
Mariota would be the cheapest option for the Colts at quarterback, and he might be the most realistic one Indianapolis is only looking for a temporary stopgap to hold things down until Wentz returns.
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