With Carson Wentz gone, Jimmy Garoppolo could be the antidote the Indianapolis Colts are looking for
The Indianapolis Colts have set their latest quarterback carousel in motion. The question now is where it stops.
Indianapolis has ripped off the band-aid that was Carson Wentz by dealing him to the Washington Commanders on Wednesday for a haul of draft picks, including third-round selections in each of the next two drafts.
The package was always going to matter to the story because it helps identify what the Colts can do next. Without a first-round pick this season, they won't have a realistic shot at Pittsburgh's Kenny Pickett or Liberty's Malik Willis. They also don't want to deplete their assets chasing someone else when they have holes to fill at premium positions.
The Colts want to win this season after blowing last year's opportunity with a late-season collapse. They believe they owe it to their stars in their prime and the culture they've built to give 2022 their best shot. They are not punting this decision to 2023.
That narrows the scope of quarterbacks who fit this timeline and prototype, and at the NFL scouting combine, one name consistently kept coming up in conversation: Jimmy Garoppolo
The 49ers quarterback is the top passer available for trade right now with Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers off the board. He's started two NFC championship games and a Super Bowl, and is in a quarterback's prime at 30 years old, and yet he isn't expected to cost the farm either.
He could be just the tight-rope option the Colts are looking for.
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Building a case for Jimmy G.
Let's start with what Frank Reich and Chris Ballard are looking for in a quarterback. Like everyone, they dream of a Patrick Mahomes or Josh Allen who can extend plays, make every throw and create belief in the most dire of circumstances. They dreamed on that player in Wentz and got burned, because traits are only a slice of the package in a quarterback league.
“Ultimately, it’s the most scrutinized position in sports," Ballard said. "You’re playing a position where you’re trying to make accurate throws with people trying to actually hurt you. Then, the scrutiny that comes into play week to week. ... So, handling the ups and downs of it and staying the steady course, there’s so much that goes into it. Then, having a team around him that can win. Not just him but having a team."
What they want is a player who walks and talks and feels like "the guy." He must be coachable, analytical, self-critical, built by adversity and confident enough to keep making the throws they work on and living with the results. They want someone hardened by the experiences that caused Wentz to crash and burn.
That's Garoppolo's story. He's spent eight seasons in the NFL, and think of all he's been through:
He was drafted to the Patriot Way, groomed as the heir to Tom Brady, thrown in as his four-game replacement during DeflateGate and then cast aside when the legendary quarterback felt threatened by his shadow
He was traded to a winless 49ers team with zero culture and every eye on him to turn it around
He tore his ACL and missed games with ankle and thumb injuries, costing him the majority of two seasons
He saw his franchise trade up to draft a quarterback second overall for the team he thought was his
Through it, Garoppolo has a 37-16 career record with two deep playoff runs. Nobody will argue that a majority of that winning belongs to him, as playing for Kyle Shanahan and with George Kittle, Deebo Samuel, Trent Williams and Nick Bosa explains much of it.
But listen to how those teammates talk about the player they had behind center:
"I hope Trey (Lance) has been like a sponge and absorbed all the information he could from Jimmy," Kittle told reporters last season. "Jimmy came from a room with Tom Brady and I think he brought a lot of those attributes that Tom brought ... he's been fantastic every single day this year. As a quarterback. As a leader. As a captain of this team."
Said Williams, "When you're wheeling and dealing that football, that's a one-man job. A lot of times, a couple inches to the right, a couple inches to the left can result in a turnover. So their job is very tedious, very intricate, vey detailed. So the fact that he had his team undefeated for the majority of that '19 season and he followed that up and still took his team to the Super Bowl, I'll always have the highest confidence in him."
Now, go and find comparable quotes on Wentz from Philadelphia or Indianapolis the past two seasons. You can't. Late last year, Colts defenders were opting out of giving any comment on him at all
Wentz and Garoppolo were both traded to teams and given the job of becoming "the guy" for a franchise with iconic quarterback history. One guy has displayed the aura. The other just got traded because he couldn't.
It's also worth noting that DeForest Buckner knows Garoppolo well, and they spent time together this offseason, according to a source. An ally on defense is a big step in building trust. Wentz never had it, and it showed.
Of course, the play is what will matter most, and Garoppolo offers a mixed bag. The scouting report is that he's a tactical and fearless operator with a lightning quick release but poor mobility and an average arm. He has never topped 4,000 yards in a season. Though some of his advanced numbers are elite, such as a career 8.4 yards per attempt, the question is always how much of it has to do with Shanahan, Kittle, Samuel and Williams?
What Garoppolo has proven is he can lead a talented team to the final four and that he can get the most out of extraordinary skill players. Kittle was a first-team All-Pro with 1,053 yards in 2019. Samuel racked up 1,405 yards this season and finished first in yards per catch and second in yards after the catch.
How to make Garoppolo work
The Colts do not have Kittle or Samuel, but they have a roster they feel is loaded and that they plan to add to. They could look at this as an opportunity to follow the 49ers' blueprint.
The Colts have seven Pro Bowlers and three All-Pros, all of whom are 28 or younger. They have the most cap space in the NFL with more than $70 million. Acquiring Garoppolo would leave them with around $43 million, which is still more than all but the Chargers, Dolphins and Jets currently have.
They have six Day 2 picks over the next two drafts, meaning they have excess to trade now. If Wentz brought in two third-round picks, Garoppolo might command a second and a third. He just underwent shoulder surgery but is expected back by training camp.
If the Colts use their cap space on a serviceable left tackle like Duane Brown, a higher-tier wide receiver such as Allen Robinson or JuJu Smith-Schuster and a higher-tier edge rusher like Haason Reddick or Emmanuel Ogbah, they would have a roster talented enough to compete with the 49ers.
Theirs would be different, but they could still play to many of Garoppolo's strengths:
He thrives with a good ground game, and they have the NFL's leading rusher in Jonathan Taylor
He leans on his top weapons, and Michael Pittman Jr. is a 6-foot-5-inch basketball body fresh off his first 1,000-yard season
He lives in the middle of the field, and that's where many of Frank Reich's favorite pass concepts are, the ones that disappeared with Wentz
He wins from the pocket, and the Colts have Pro Bowlers at left guard and center, though they need a left tackle
It'd be fools' gold to think the Colts could get more out of Garoppolo than Shanahan did. But the Colts believe they have a talented offensive mind of their own in Reich, which once made him their coach for Andrew Luck.
The Colts would need to be realistic about who Garoppolo is and isn't, which they weren't always with Wentz. Garoppolo is a quarterback who can win, but he's ultimately a bridge in the hopes of landing someone who can better compete with Mahomes, Allen, Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert.
Garoppolo has shown that he can work effectively with a rookie, teaching him lessons while still playing to the best of his ability. By making the playoffs, Reich and Ballard can buy the time to scout out the next few drafts and find a high-ceiling quarterback on a rookie contract, or their version of Lance.
If Garoppolo gets hurt once again, that lane becomes even more clear.
If this offseason had a magic cure at quarterback, he disappeared to the Broncos yesterday. The draft isn't believed to have one either and certainly not past the first round.
Perhaps Garoppolo's ceiling is a teetering fourth-quarter lead over the Chiefs in the postseason. But that'd be a hell of a next step for a franchise that needs somewhere to go.
Contact Colts insider Nate Atkins at natkins@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @NateAtkins_.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Carson Wentz trade: Why Jimmy Garoppolo could be Colts' antidote
