Colts: 5 candidates to be the starting quarterback in 2021

This requires going back to a familiar face in free agency

If Rivers does decide to call it a career, one option the Colts could entertain is one they know very well in his backup Jacoby Brissett.

Since being traded over to the Colts in 2017 from the New England Patriots, Brissett has served as Indianapolis’ primary starter in two campaigns: 2017 and 2019. This was because of Andrew Luck’s health in 2017 and his abrupt retirement in 2019.

Brissett may not be more than a high-level backup, but he is a professional and one who knows the Colts’ offensive system very well. He can quarterback this team to the playoffs in what could be a bit of a stop-gap year for the franchise.

Of course, Brissett will be hitting free agency this spring, so he will have other suitors besides the Colts looking for his quarterbacking services.

He will be within reach in the middle part of the first round

It may not be the most interesting option, but it is one very much in play. Assuming Alabama quarterback Mac Jones forgoes his final year of eligibility and enters the 2021 NFL Draft, he will be coming off the board in the teens, the ideal spot for the Colts to draft their next franchise quarterback.

Jones is accurate and a student of the game, but will he succeed in the NFL?

Playing in a dome and in a southern climate is ideal for a player of Jones’ skillset. However, other high-end quarterback-desperate teams like the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Washington Football Team could have huge interest in the 2020 Davey O’Brien Award winner.

Jones will be a first-round pick if he turns pro. The question is if he will be the guy the Colts end up taking this spring.

Who will be the Colts’ Week 1 starting quarterback in 2021?