The 2022 season will come to an end for the Colts on Sunday, but not before yet another change at the quarterback position. Interim head coach Jeff Saturday announced on Monday that Sam Ehlingerwill be under center for Indianapolis’ Week 18 contest against the Texans.
Veteran Nick Foleshad been moved to the top of the depth chart two weeks ago as part of the team’s plans to shut down Matt Ryan. That gave the former Eagle, Jaguar and Bear another chance to take the reins of an offense – albeit one, in this case, which has woefully underperformed relative to preseason expectations. Foles threw three interceptions in a 20-3 loss to the Chargers in his first start in one year.
Things were not faring much better during yesterday’s loss to the Giants before the 33-year-old suffered a rib injury. It forced him to exit the game, and he did not return. Saturday confirmed that he will not be available to suit up this Sunday, meaning that Ryan will once again dress, but as the backup. The Colts’ intentions of preventing an injury to the former MVP (and the associated 2023 salary cap issues that would incur) were behind that latest decision.
As a result, Ehlinger will be back atop the depth chart. The 2021 sixth-rounder took over for Ryan in Week 8, and remained as the No. 1 for the following game. He totaled 304 scoreless yards during that span, while throwing an interception and taking 11 sacks. The Texas product performed better in relief of Foles yesterday, including his first career touchdown pass, but a significant follow-up would be required this week to cast any doubt on the sense that the Colts will once again be heavily involved in the offseason quarterback market.
This latest switch adds even further to the fluidity Indianapolis has dealt with throughout the 2022 campaign. As Zak Keefer of The Athletic illustrates (on Twitter), the Colts have had seven different QB depth charts this year, with all three passers occupying each spot at least once. In Ehlinger’s case, he has been a starter, backup and third-stringer on multiple occasions over the course of the season. Week 18 will offer him one final chance to audition for playing time in 2023 and help inform the team’s offseason QB plans.
JANUARY 1, 2023:Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL.com report that Saturday will “absolutely” be a candidate for the full-time gig, despite recent reports to the contrary. Irsay remains a “big fan” of Saturday, and if the surprising head coach can assemble a quality staff, he will have a real shot to have his interim tag removed. Given Indianapolis’ traditional power structure — the head coach reports to the GM, who reports to the owner — the team’s HC post may not appeal to high-profile candidates who want more personnel control. Indianapolis’ uncertain quarterback situation won’t help matters either.
DECEMBER 29, 2022: Jim Irsay‘s experiment to replace Frank Reich with Jeff Saturday has not gone well. The Colts won their first Saturday-coached game but have lost five straight, with the past two outings being the low point in a wildly disappointing season. Irsay has repeatedly said he will keep Chris Ballard on as GM, but the team’s head-coaching situation will be in the spotlight.
Reich will be on the Colts’ payroll for a while, having signed a four-year extension which is believed to be worth $9MM per year. Despite saying at the time the team had “as great a general manager-head coach combination as there is in the NFL,” Irsay said during an ESPN interview this week (via the New York Post) he was not ready to extend Reich and did so “reluctantly.”
Although the summer 2021 Reich re-up may have been reluctant, Irsay was effectively out of time to hammer out that deal. Reich’s original contract was for five years, and not extending him during the summer of ’21 would have meant the Colts would have been close to having their head coach — who had ventured to two playoff brackets in three years, the second of which without Andrew Luck — moving toward a lame-duck year. Such arrangements are uncommon in the modern NFL, and Irsay provided Reich a second contract. Obviously, the Colts have changed course this year.
Irsay took on a lead role after the team’s 2021 collapse, insisting on a trade ofCarson Wentz and then instructing Ballard to complete the Matt Ryan deal. Irsay then drove Ryan’s midseason benching for Sam Ehlinger and fired Reich soon after. Had Saturday not agreed to take over, Irsay said this week Reich would have stayed on longer this season. When asked if he would have fired Reich had Saturday passed on the offer, Irsay said he would have given Reich a bit more time.
Saturday accepting Irsay’s offer led to full-scale blowback against the Colts, who made one of the most shocking interim hires in NFL history. The Colts are coming off back-to-back nationally televised losses, including the Vikings breaking Reich’s near-30-year-old record by erasing a 33-point deficit in Week 15. Irsay said before this week’s Chargers loss Saturday will be competitive for the full-time job and remains “an outstanding candidate.” But execs around the league do not expect Saturday to stick around beyond this season.
Jim Harbaugh is believed to be on the Colts’ radar for 2023. The Colts’ last HC search produced two hires, with Reich taking over after Josh McDaniels bailed, raising the stakes for this upcoming process. This will be a pressure-packed hire for Irsay and Ballard, with the Colts closing out a chaotic year.
Yannick Ngakoue‘s season has come to an end. Mike Chappell of FOX59/CBS4 Sports in Indy reports (via Twitter) that the Colts have placed the defensive end on injured reserve.
Per Zak Keefer of The Athletic (on Twitter), Ngakoue suffered a throat injury during Monday’s loss to the Chargers. The defensive lineman practiced this week, but after feeling some pain, he met with the team doctor. It was ultimately determined the player will have to undergo a “procedure.”
Ngakoue has bounced around the NFL in recent years, spending time with the Jaguars, Vikings, Ravens, Raiders, and Colts since the 2019 season. He was traded from Las Vegas to Indy this past offseason for cornerback Rock Ya-Sin and proceeded to start all 15 of his appearances for his new team. The 27-year-old finished his season with 9.5 sacks and 16 QB hits. Despite the solid numbers, Pro Football Focus only ranked Ngakoue 109th among 121 qualifying edge defenders. The defensive end is set to hit free agency following this season.
December 29th, 2022 at 10:03pm CST by Sam Robinson
Wednesday’s unusual development — Derek Carrleaving the Raiders following the news of his benching — makes it fairly clear the sides are expecting to part ways soon. This opens the door for the first full-fledged search for a new Raiders starter since they selected Carr in Round 2 in 2014, and it moves a proven quarterback to the trade block.
The Raiders backed away from trading Carr in the past, and the 49ers’ Jimmy Garoppolo saga this year shows how presuming a separation can be premature. But it certainly looks like the Raiders plan to move Carr. There will be interested teams, but the acquiring franchise would need to pick up a $40.4MM guarantee and prove appealing enough Carr would waive his no-trade clause. Where will the 31-year-old passer end up?
A few teams will be searching for a quarterback after acquiring one last year, but some parties will be those that sat out the 2022 carousel. The Jets figure to be a Carr suitor. They have seen their 2021 investment — No. 2 overall pick Zach Wilson — bomb during his two-season run as a primary starter. The defense the Jets rebuilt this offseason no longer gives Wilson a lengthy NFL onramp, and the BYU product may not be ready even with the benefit of a long runway. With Wilson perhaps on the way out midway through his rookie deal, the Jets adding Carr’s through-2025 contract would make sense.
We broached this subject upon Wilson’s initial benching last month, and it would put the Jets — who employ ex-49ers OC Mike LaFleur as their play-caller — to an interesting decision. Going after Carr in February would cut off a LaFleur-Garoppolo reunion in March. While Garoppolo’s checkered health history may now place him behind Carr in teams’ hierarchies, the former has extensive familiarity with LaFleur.
Carr, 31, becoming available also complicates the Giants’ path. They have seen a solid season from Daniel Jones, with the Dave Gettleman-era investment working with a bottom-tier receiving corps to lead the team to the playoff precipice. With a more proven option available, would the Joe Schoen–Brian Daboll duo preemptively nix Jones negotiations by trading for Carr? If Jones leads the Giants to the playoffs, the prospect of seeing him with better receivers in 2023 — though, at a much higher price — would seemingly be interesting, and he is six years younger than Carr.
Tom Brady–Raiders rumors may be relentless over the next several weeks, provided the legendary passer does not actually retire this time around. The current expectation, barring retirement, is for Brady to leave the Buccaneers to finish his career. This would open a spot for a veteran quarterback to pair with a Super Bowl nucleus, albeit one that has, particularly on offense, underwhelmed to an alarming degree this season. The Bucs were in the quarterback market during Brady’s first retirement, but timing also may rule them out of the Carr sweepstakes. A Carr move in February — a month before Brady’s free agency — would lead arguably the greatest quarterback ever out of town. That would be quite the strange ending to this memorable Bucs chapter.
If Carson Wentz‘s comeback does not produce a Commanders playoff berth, he could well be on the move for a third straight offseason. Washington can cut bait free of charge. This franchise has searched for QB continuity ever since the Kirk Cousins franchise tag years, having entered six straight seasons with a new starter. Carr, who has missed two regular-season games due to injury in his career, would provide that.
He would also cost more than Wentz, who remains attached to a $32MM-per-year Eagles extension he inked in 2019. Wentz is tied to just $20MM and $21MM base salaries over the next two years. Carr’s deal includes future bases of $32.9MM (guaranteed in a trade), $41.9MM ($7.5MM of which would be guaranteed) and $41.2MM. The Commanders employ Jack Del Rio, who coached Carr for three seasons, as defensive coordinator.
The Saints traded their 2023 first-round pick to the Eagles and ditched their original 2022 QB plan early this season. Benching Jameis Winston for Andy Dalton has not moved the needle in terms of wins, though Pro Football Focus surprisingly rates Dalton as a top-five QB this season. Dalton’s deal expires at season’s end. New Orleans, per usual, resides 32nd in terms of projected 2023 cap space. The Saints sit $53.9MM over the projected 2023 salary ceiling, per OverTheCap. While Mickey Loomis has gotten out of worse predicaments, adding Carr’s contract would be a new challenge for the seasoned GM. The Saints employ Carr’s first NFL HC (Dennis Allen), though he was only with Oakland for a few Carr games before being fired.
Carolina has attempted bigger swings at QB over the past two offseasons, offering a first-round pick and change for Matthew Stafford and offering three and change for Deshaun Watson. The Panthers are preparing to chase a QB again. Is re-signing Sam Darnold a viable option, or will David Tepper try and make a notable upgrade. Carr might not qualify as a huge splash, but he would likely provide an upgrade for a team that has intriguing pieces at several positions.
Neither of the teams that made the Matt Ryan trade have surefire answers for 2023, though Carr might not be a true fit for either the Colts or Falcons. Indianapolis is barreling toward securing its first top-five pick since the Peyton Manning injury year produced Andrew Luck. After trying veterans repeatedly, Indianapolis could have a chance to land an impact prospect. Desmond Ridder being an unchallenged starter would be a risk for the Falcons next year, but they still are on the rebuilding track. That said, Arthur Smith is going into Year 3. Carr pairing with Kyle Pitts and Drake London would be interesting.
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