Prolific Passer a Free-Agent Option for Colts, Shane Steichen
The Indianapolis Colts are yet again in the quarterback market this offseason, although all signs point to the team selecting one high with their first pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Veterans Matt Ryan and Nick Foles are expected to be released at some point this offseason, which means that the team will also need to look into signing a free agent to be the future rookie's backup for the foreseeable future.
The Colts are no strangers to the veteran quarterback free agent market, as the team has been quite active in it over the past three offseasons. The Colts signed veteran Philip Rivers to a one year, 25 million dollar deal back in 2020, and they nearly opted to sign another veteran last offseason prior to trading for Matt Ryan.
Luckily, the team isn't searching for a band-aid starter this go around. The search for a free agent quarterback is purely to find a suitable back-up that can win a few games in a pinch if the rookie gets hurt/isn't ready on day one. One of the Colts' top options over the past few offseasons, Jameis Winston, appears to be on the verge of hitting the market yet again:
Winston, 29, is a former first overall pick that hasn't quite lived up to expectations in his career. In 80 career starts in the league, Winston has completed 61.3% of his passes for 21,840 yards and 139 touchdowns with 96 interceptions. He boasts a record of 34-46 as a starter in those starts.
While those numbers are far from stellar, Winston is a better player than the average backup quarterback. He has surpassed the 4,000 yard passing mark three times in his career, hitting a career high of 5,109 yards back in 2019. He is a streaky passer that is capable of a high level of play when everything is clicking.
The only problem is that things aren't always clicking with this volatile passer. He has thrown double-digit interceptions in every single season as a starter, including an insane 30 interceptions season back in 2019. On top of that, he has a notable off-field history that wouldn't look great for any rosterable player (but especially for a back-up quarterback).
That being said, the Colts have had heavy interest in Winston in the past, especially last offseason when they intended on flying him out for a visit prior to making the trade for Matt Ryan:
While that interest certainly could have subsided over the past year, it seems easy to believe that the Colts will yet again be in the market for Jameis Winston this upcoming offseason. The biggest wildcard in this equation becomes Shane Steichen. Will the new head coach be comfortable with a player like Winston being his back-up/fallback option behind the rookie?
We know that the Colts have had some interest in the past, but it all comes down to what the new head coach values in his back-up quarterbacks. While I can't say that Winston is a likely veteran quarterback option for the Colts this offseason, I wouldn't be shocked if this is the route the team ultimately decides to go in free agency.
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