Colts Player on Team Being QB Away from Contending: 'Been Hearing That for 3 Years'

The Indianapolis Colts have been saddled in quarterback problems since Andrew Luck abruptly retired after the 2018 season, and at least one player is tired of hearing that the franchise is a signal-caller away from contending for a title.

"Three years ago, they said we were a quarterback away," a prominent Indianapolis player said, per ESPN's Stephen Holder. "I've been hearing that for three years now."

With Luck in command of the offense from 2012 through 2018, the Colts made the postseason four times, reaching the AFC Championship Game during the 2014 campaign.

Since the four-time Pro Bowler hung up the cleats, the Colts have reached the postseason just once, which came during the 2020 campaign.

In 2019, the team relied on Jacoby Brissett at quarterback and finished third in the AFC South with a 7-9 record. That resulted in owner Jim Irsay signing off on a one-year, $25 million deal for eight-time Pro Bowler Philip Rivers ahead of the 2020 season.

Rivers was solid that year, completing 68 percent of his passes for 4,169 yards and 24 touchdowns against 11 interceptions, leading the Colts to an 11-5 record and a postseason berth, where they were eliminated by the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Wild Card Round.

However, Rivers was 39 at the time and there was no expectation for him to lead Indy to a Super Bowl. Additionally, everyone knew Rivers would not be a long-term solution.

He announced his retirement after the 2020 campaign, so it was back to the drawing board for Indianapolis. Instead of turning to the draft, the Colts acquired Carson Wentz in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Wentz, unsurprisingly, was subpar as the Colts finished with a 9-8 record in 2021 and missed the playoffs once again. Irsay, who has been impatient and impulsive with the quarterback process, then shipped the veteran signal-caller to the Washington Commanders after just one season and brought in Matt Ryan in a trade with the Atlanta Falcons for 2022.

Ryan, 37, performed even worse than Wentz, and he was in and out of the lineup alongside Sam Ehlinger and Nick Foles. With the constant flip-flopping at quarterback, Indianapolis finished with a 4-12-1 record, its worst showing since the 2017 campaign when it went 4-12.

Ryan is under contract through the 2023 season, but it's possible the Colts will finally draft a quarterback of the future this spring. The team owns the No. 4 pick and could have a few talented quarterbacks to choose from, including Bryce Young, Will Levis and C.J. Stroud.

If for some reason the Colts don't select a quarterback with the fourth pick, Indy fans, and clearly the players, will be left scratching their heads as the franchise's long-term QB situation continues to go unaddressed.