The Indianapolis Colts find themselves down an elite quarterback following the surprise retirement of Andrew Luck on Saturday night and while they won’t be able to replicate his production, there is a chance a name is added to the room.
With Jacoby Brissett firmly entrenched as the starter, the Colts could be looking for another quarterback to join the room behind him to work with Phillip Walker and Chad Kelly.
Though a trade is unlikely, it is still an avenue general manager Chris Ballard can explore to find a more stable backup for Brissett. Here are a few options the Colts could consider:
Brian Hoyer, New England Patriots
If the Colts are looking for a backup quarterback that could be on his way out of his current situation, Hoyer might be a target. With Jarrett Stidham emerging the quarterback room for the Patriots, it’s possible the Colts could flip a late-round pick to get a viable backup option behind Brissett.
The Colts won’t be looking for a starter. That’s Brissett’s role, but Hoyer has been in the league long enough to help him develop while also being a safety net in case Indy needed a spot start.
Hoyer has held multiple roles throughout his career—even the one Brissett is currently in. If the Colts can get him for cheap, it might be a way to add some security to the quarterback room.
Nate Sudfeld, Philadelphia Eagles
To start, Sudfeld suffered a broken bone in his wrist and isn’t expected to be ready for another few weeks following surgery earlier this month. However, if the Colts are looking long-term—and they always are—Sudfeld could be an intriguing trade target.
With the Eagles having signed Josh McCown to back up Carson Wentz, it could be that Sudfeld is potentially on the trading block. He has a history with head coach Frank Reich during the 2017 season when they both were with the Eagles.
The Colts have even expressed interest in Sudfeld after attempting to sign him off the Eagles practice squad in 2017. If the Colts still have that same interest in him, he would be an easy get for a late-round pick.
Kyle Lauletta, New York Giants
Some have proposed the idea that the Giants could trade veteran Eli Manning to the Colts with Daniel Jones impressing this preseason. That’s not going to happen, though. The Giants aren’t trading Manning, and the Colts likely wouldn’t want to take on that contract.
There is another name in the quarterback room, though, that could be interesting to the Colts. Lauletta, a former fourth-round pick out of Richmond, has looked much better this preseason than he did in his rookie year.
With the Giants’ quarterback room solidified, they could be looking for some compensation before waiving Lauletta. A seventh-round pick could be given if the Colts want to scoop him up.
Chase Litton, Kansas City Chiefs
Though Ballard was with the Colts when the Chiefs signed Litton as an undrafted free agent in 2018, the former still has ties with the organization and hasn’t been afraid to take a chance on a player from that team.
Charles Goldman of our friends over at Chiefs Wire proposed that a trade between the Colts and Chiefs for Litton could work if Ballard is looking for a young, viable backup quarterback that has shown some promise.
If Ballard is interested in the upside route, second-year UDFA QB Chase Litton has put together a nice performance this preseason. His stat line is 21-for-36 for 214 yards with two touchdown passes and one interception.
This is the more unlikely route, but the Colts are always looking toward the future and with Brissett firmly entrenched as the starter, Indy could be looking for another quarterback with upside to work alongside Chad Kelly and Phillip Walker.
