NFL Trade Rumors: Insider believes Colts will opt for veteran QB over Baker Mayfield

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Cincinnati Bengals v Cleveland Browns

Baker Mayfield's time as the starter for the Cleveland Browns has come to an abrupt end after the team traded for Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson.

Watson's arrival has brought optimism to a franchise that hasn't had much since Mayfield himself was drafted as the number one overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft.

Ian Rapoport

@RapSheet

Deshaun Watson gets a fully guaranteed 5 year $230M contract. That is $80M more than the previous record for fully guaranteed money at signing ($150M). This deal was negotiated by David Mulugheta of Athletes First. twitter.com/RapSheet/statu…

Ian Rapoport

@RapSheet

Deshaun Watson plans to waive his no-trade clause to the #Browns, sources tell me and @TomPelissero. Yes, the Browns!!

Trade compensation still to be finalized with the #Texans, but Watson has made his choice: He expects to go to Cleveland.

3:48 AM · Mar 18, 2022

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Deshaun Watson plans to waive his no-trade clause to the #Browns, sources tell me and @TomPelissero. Yes, the Browns!!

Trade compensation still to be finalized with the #Texans, but Watson has made his choice: He expects to go to Cleveland.

Deshaun Watson gets a fully guaranteed 5 year $230M contract. That is $80M more than the previous record for fully guaranteed money at signing ($150M). This deal was negotiated by David Mulugheta of Athletes First. twitter.com/RapSheet/statu…

Now, the team must decide on where to trade the former Heisman Trophy winner.

There has been speculation that the Browns will trade Baker Mayfield to either the Seattle Seahawks or the Indianapolis Colts. Both teams are searching for a starting signal caller.

But will the Indianapolis Colts opt to go with a different quarterback besides Baker Mayfield?

NFL Trade Rumors: Indianapolis Colts may once again search for veteran quarterback over Baker Mayfield

Cleveland Browns v Green Bay Packers

NFL insider Aaron Wilson believes that the Indianapolis Colts and head coach Frank Reich may choose to trade for or sign a veteran quarterback in the league. This comes after reports that the Colts may have been trying to trade for Baker Mayfield.

Aaron Wilson

@AaronWilson_NFL

Indianapolis Colts make a ton of sense for Matt Ryan. Frank Reich has made it work before with an older pocket passer with Philip Rivers.

9:09 AM · Mar 21, 2022

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Indianapolis Colts make a ton of sense for Matt Ryan. Frank Reich has made it work before with an older pocket passer with Philip Rivers.

Reich has been down this road before. The team just chose to trade Carson Wentz to the Washington Commanders after only one season at the helm. Before Wentz, the team had veteran quarterback Philip Rivers as their signal caller (also for only one season).

In his 17th and final season (2020) in the NFL, Rivers led the Colts to the playoffs and lost 27-24 to the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card Round. The Bills would eventually reach the AFC Championship game that season, losing to the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Bills were a juggernaut similar to their play in 2021 with perennial MVP candidate Josh Allen at quarterback. Rivers' play warranted him coming back, but he elected to retire and did not return after a lengthy career in the NFL.

Last season, with Wentz at quarterback, the Colts needed one victory in their final two games to make the playoffs. The last two games were against the Las Vegas Raiders and the Jacksonville Jaguars, the worst team in the league.

Wentz was unable to deliver a win in either game and the team likely then determined that a change would have to be made for next season. Meanwhile, Baker Mayfield shares some similarities with Carson Wentz, which may scare the Colts into looking elsewhere.

Both quarterbacks have strong arms and have mobility but are inconsistent at best. Aaron Wilson believes the team may be looking for a more complete signal caller, such as Matt Ryan of the Atlanta Falcons.

One thing is for certain: The 2022 NFL offseason is starting out with a bang. Stay tuned to find out who Frank Reich and company sign as their next quarterback.

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