Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - Offseason Mailbag on Stafford, Realistic QB Options, Free Agency, and Team Needs

Episode Date: January 30, 2021

On today's episode, Evan and Stephen Reed of Stampede Blue provide listeners an update on the Matthew Stafford sweepstakes. It sounds like San Francisco is gaining traction on landing the Lions' franchise QB. If that happens, where would the Colts to pivot?Closing out the show, we answer all of your Twitter questions with another Twitter mailbag! QB options, free agency, and overall team needs headline this new mailbag edition! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You are Locked On Colts, your daily Indianapolis Colts podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Hello everybody, welcome back to this year's episode of On, the Colts Party Locked On Podcast Network. Today's always your host, Evan Sedra, joined by Steven Reed of Stampede Blue. To give you guys an update on the Matthew Stafford situation, it sounds like, according to Vegas at least, and a couple sources out in San Francisco, the 49ers are trying to make a late push for Stafford. It really looks like a two-team race at this point, even though we haven't heard a lot of buzz out of Indy. Even though we all should not really expect anything as far as buzz out of Indy goes

because they're so secretive. Lester DeForest Buckner. But, Stephen, how are you doing today? We're also getting on a quick mailbag as well. I'm doing well today, Evan. How are you? Doing great. Like I mentioned, we'll start off the show here with the Matthew Stafford update.

I know we've been doing Stafford stuff throughout this week here. But a lot of Colts fans are obviously interested. We're all interested as well, Stephen, in what the Colts can do here. A 33-year-old franchise quarterback in what the Colts could do here. A 33-year-old franchise quarterback in the open market like Matthew Stafford. Deshaun Watson just requested a trade official out of Houston as well. But let's tell them Stafford first. Let me ask your thoughts on the situation right now with Stafford because it seems like from all indications from everyone in Mobile,

I know you had a source or two down there as well that told you the same thing about really a lot of busts around the 49ers right now that they could get Matthew Stafford instead of the Colts and that it's something that the odds on favorite according to a lot of people and also in Vegas too they are now the heavy favorites to land Matthew Stafford what's your thoughts on that yeah it's something that we talked about earlier in the week is that the most likely scenarios were the the Colts or San Francisco for Matthew Stafford and so it's not necessarily surprising that San Francisco has gone from, you know, a pretty decent favorite to an even money bet in Vegas

to land Matthew Stafford. From what I was told, and you saw multiple people on Twitter reporting this, that John Lynch and the Detroit Lions people were in the booths talking for multiple hours during the senior bowl, trying to get some kind of deal hashed out. The expectation is they want to have a deal done before the Super Bowl. My guess is we're probably going to hear something about it this weekend, because I have a hard time believing that the NFL is going to want them to distract away from the Super Bowl this week. And so if I don't, if you don't hear something by Sunday, my guess is you probably won't hear anything until after the Super Bowl or at least, you know, Wednesday at the latest,

just because they don't want to mess up the hype going into that game. The compensation from what I'm hearing from different people is one of those things where it's a heck of a deal for a 33-year-old franchise caliber quarterback or a franchise quarterback who has the ability to really lift the roster. From what we were hearing, some people were reporting that it was two second round picks and two third round picks from San Francisco. There was another report that it was a second round pick and then a 2022 future first round pick or 2022 first round pick. And so it's something that I floated out before is I've always thought that the most

likely deal is a first round pick and a third round pick for Matthew Stafford. The one that I would go if I were the Colts is, you know, 21 and a 2022 third round pick. If they're willing to take a second in a future first, then goodness gracious, give them 54 in the Colts 2022 first round pick that you think is probably going to be in the late twenties, early thirties and, and go and get yourself, you know, get yourself in a position to compete for a Superbowl. Um, so yeah, there's a lot of stuff we're hearing about Matthew Stafford and the San Francisco 49ers, and it makes a lot of sense. So again, not super surprising to hear that they're interested and they're trying to push to get a deal done. But we'll see. Like you mentioned, Chris Ballard

has played everything really close to the vest. When he was giving his press conference, the end of your press conference, he had that Cheshire Cat smile, like he's got an idea of what's going on, or he's got something up his sleeve and so hopefully he does and we just don't know about it yet and we won't know about it until it actually gets announced so who knows uh with chris ballard that's that's kind of the the gift and the curse of having a franchise or rooting for a franchise that runs such a tight ship is that you just don't you don't know um you don't know what's going on behind the scenes it's like a duck he's just working constantly underwater getting things done and all you see is the peaceful serene thing on top yeah definitely gonna have to be something

to watch for here and let me ask you this if let's say the 49ers do consummate to do with the lions here very soon i would have to say they're probably the favorites now just from all the buzz we're hearing down in mobile at the senior bowl as well as just multiple reports out there saying the 49ers are really trying to aggressively to get matthew stafford probably more so than the colts are maybe a little surprised me just because jimmy garoppolo's on their their staff but i mean it seems like for even last year like the 49ers have just been not been committal to jimmy garoppolo they almost got tom brady last year trying to enter that race but tambe got in there late they decided to go with gruff for another year and then he got hurt again so maybe late. They decided to go with Garoppolo for another year.

They got hurt again. They're ready to pull a plug on Garoppolo. It sounds like go get Matthew Stafford. But what do you think about Stafford's fit in San Francisco? Because I know a lot of Colts fans are going to be thinking he's a great fit with guys like Mike Pippen Jr. You have Jonathan Taylor with the running game. It's really like the NFC version, if they're healthy, Stephen,

almost the NFC version of the Colts as far as the system goes. Yeah, I really like his fit in San Francisco. They've got some good weapons there out there with the 49ers. The only thing that they really kind of lack is that dominant offensive line like the Colts have. But they've got some talent at wide receiver, Brandon Ayoub, Debo Samuels. They've got some good guys there. George Kittle, goodness, got an elite tight end.

And so Matthew Stafford, you know, he's going to excel no matter what team he goes to. He's going to elevate that roster. And so he's one of those quarterbacks that really can fit into any system and you feel pretty comfortable with. And so having him go to Kyle Shanahan's system out there in San Francisco, to me, I think it's a no-brainer that he's going to do well. Yeah, obviously with the situation, it's still fluid. Even though everyone's saying the 49ers are heavy favorites,

things can change at the drop of a hat. Maybe we hear more about the Colts or some other team gets in this situation late, like you mentioned at the top of the show, Stephen. The Lions want to get a deal done as soon as possible, probably the next week or so. So we're going to definitely know more about the starter situation as we get closer and closer to Super Bowl 55 in Tampa Bay. But let's talk real quick, Stephen, about, let's say, another hypothetical scenario here. Matthew Stafford goes to the 49ers. Does Jimmy Garoppolo intrigue at all?

Because I imagine the 49ers might cut him right away, or maybe they try to find a trade partner by the first day of free agency when they officially can announce that staff or trade if that were to happen. Does Garoppolo intrigue at all as a bridge quarterback? I mean, not really. The good thing for the 49ers is the way they structure Jimmy Garoppolo's cap or contract when they sign him to that extension, his dead cap this year, if he's cut,

is $2.8 million. And so his base salary is $24 million. So that goes completely away if they go ahead and cut him. I think they save like $24 million in cap space if they cut Jimmy Garoppolo. And then they go ahead and bring in Matthew Stafford. As far as Jimmy Garoppolo as a potential option for the Colts, you know, I'm not super sold on that. Just because he has had some issues in terms of injury. He's going to have to learn a new system here with the Colts. So I'm not totally set on that. He might be a little bit of an upgrade over Jacoby Brissett, but I don't think that that's enough of an upgrade to bring him in unless it was for just a really cheap deal.

And I can't, it'd be hard for me to believe that Jimmy Garoppolo was Chris Ballard's target as a fallback option if the Matthew Stafford deal didn't go through. So that's kind of where I'm at with Jimmy Garoppolo. I'm sure he can do well. Most quarterbacks can do well in Frank Reich's system. But if that's the primary option for Chris Ballard, then I'm not as sold on that. Let's dive into the middle back now, Stephen. Bouncing off that Garoppolo question

I asked you, I had a couple of quarterback questions in here. We're going to kind of all time in the one here to make it easier on all of us. One from Michael, one from Mario, and then as well one from Levi. They're all talking about the quarterback situation for the Colts, just asking about if they don't get Stafford, who makes the most sense? If they let Rivers walk, they don't get Stafford, it's more so like a trade-off possibility. If they don't get Matthew Stafford who makes the most sense. If they let, they let Rivers walk, they don't get Stafford. It's more so like a trade of possibility. If they don't get Matthew Stafford, Steven,

where are you leaning on this? Cause I think we taught us before over the last couple of weeks. Like it feels like to me personally, that if they don't get Matthew Stafford, you're kind of pushing your chips and all the way into the 2021 NFL draft where you're trading up in the top three, top five, top seven or top eight.

I just feel like this might be the year now, if they don't get Matthew Stafford, one of those veterans on board, like a win now, for instance, quarterback type of veteran, quarterback like Stafford is. I just think it makes all the sense in the world. Maybe you bring out your Cody Brisson on a one-year deal. Maybe you sign a guy like a Jameis Winston, or you sign a guy like a Nick Foles if he's cut by the Bears.

Like a journeyman veteran quarterback for a year, you draft your quarterback in the top ten or top five, like a Justin Fields, Zach Wilson, or Trey Lance, that's personally where I think they'd go. If they don't go Matthew Stafford, I think kind of tells it a lot, especially if they don't draft first round pick for Stafford, Stephen. It kind of tells us, I think, they might be targeting a 2020 NFL draft for their future franchise quarterback. But what's your thoughts in that situation? If they're going to lean towards draft and this doesn't happen? I'm not sure, honestly. I think Matthew Stafford was the one

that made the most sense for all of us Colts fans. I think Chris Ballard's probably got a couple of moves up his sleeve in terms of where he wants to go. We still don't know what Dallas is going to do with Dak Prescott. You assume that he's going to be back, but Jerry Jones has been known to make deals and make poor decisions at times. My guess is that there's going to be a trade, whether it be for Sam Darnold and the New York Jets just do a full reset, or that the New York Jets, for example, trade for Deshaun Watson, because there's reports that Deshaun Watson is really impressed with Robert Sala and out there and being the head coach. So maybe Sam Bradford becomes available. Maybe Matt Ryan becomes available.

Something like that is probably going to be my – I don't think Carson Wentz becomes available, something like that is probably going to be my, my, I don't think Carson Wentz becomes available. Just throwing that out there. I don't think that, and he's not my priority. So I think that they're going to look there and then they're going to look into the free agent market after that and see if they can get a guy that at the very least can be a bridge for either Jacob Eason or for a quarterback. If they do decide to trade up in the draft, the good thing with going to the free agent market is it doesn't cost you any draft capital.

And so it gives you an opportunity to trade up into that top 10 range. If, if he needs to, you know, guy like, like you mentioned, James Winston is a, is an intriguing name. He's had a lot of a lot of struggles um but he's a really good passer he makes some really poor decisions at times but he's a really good passer um and so there's a couple different options for the colts to go my gut says that they're going to sign a veteran quarterback because they're either going to sign a veteran quarterback or make a trade for a guy like Sam Darnold.

And then they'll go ahead and use that as a bridge. If they can get up in the draft to get their guy. I think if a guy like Zach Wilson or Justin Fields or even Trey Lance is there at six, they might trade up. That would cost probably this year's first, next year's first, and probably a round two pick or a round three pick to get up from 21 to six. If you're looking at, if one of those guys falls into that 10, 10 range and they fall past the Detroit Lions, Carolina Panthers, then I think Ballard absolutely jumps on that because it's just going to cost the first round pick this year,

first round pick next year, based on what it's cost in the past. So my gut says that they're going to sign a veteran quarterback, but I wouldn't be surprised at all. If Ballard signs a veteran quarterback to a very team friendly deal that allows him to cut that quarterback. If he doesn't make it out of camp and then go ahead and trade up for a quarterback in the draft. If one of those guys ends up falling and gets into a range where Chris Ballard can, can take a shot at him without completely mortgaging the future.

Cause Jim Irsay said in the press conference, ideally they want to get a veteran quarterback that helps them to win now. And they want to build for the future by drafting a quarterback and really developing the system. So that's kind of why I'm thinking it's probably going to be a veteran quarterback. And then they're probably going to look to possibly trade up because Jim Irsay just kind of tells everybody what it is. And same thing with Chris Ballard really is he lets you know what he's thinking. He doesn't, he doesn't normally hide too much.

He keeps his lips tight in terms of trade discussions and things like that. But when you just ask him a question, he usually gives you too much information. You're one of a kind and so are your taxes. That's why TurboTax Live has experienced tax experts who are ready to listen to you, learn about your unique tax situation, and help you get the best tax outcome. Maybe you're moonlighting as a ride-share driver and have questions about what qualifies as deduction. Maybe you want an expert to walk you through the process, since most of your income last year came from freelance jobs.

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Again, use promo code LOCKEDON at L-O-C-K-A-D-O-N for 20% off at BiltBar.com. Looking at the draft board right now, Stephen, and now with the Lions shopping Matthew Stafford, they're going to try to get another first-round pickback or even extra ammo on day two if they don't get a first-round pickback, whatever it may be.

It looks like there's going to be possibly four to five teams in the top eight selections looking at quarterback Stephen, which kind of, at least to me, tells me there's three spots I think realistically the Colts could trio up to. That's Miami at three, Cincinnati at five, or Philadelphia at six. I feel like outside of that, I think Detroit can trio up from seven if they can get a first-round pick. Carolina might trio up from eight. And who knows with Denver? They might be a team that looks at a Trey Lancer, Zach Wilson tries to try up as well at number nine overall. So there's possibly five to six teams in the top seven, eight, nine picks,

Steven, that could be in the market for a quarterback. And I just feel like those three spots logistically, three, five, and six, that's 15 to 18 spots the Colts have to move up from at number 21 overall. A huge price to pay but does it go like to you those might be the realistic spots if we're looking at on draft night they sound like let's say like an Andy Dalton do a one or two year deal or they bring up Jacoby Bursette and everyone knows you're gonna try to get a quarterback I feel like those are the three spots to watch out for is Miami Cincinnati and Philly at six

what do you think yeah and that's that's kind of where kind of where I was trying to go with the last question is, you know, looking at six to Philadelphia, that's because you've got to get in front of Detroit and Carolina. If you really want a quarterback, you've got to get in front of those two teams because Jacksonville is taking a quarterback. The Jets could take a quarterback right there, or if they trade it out to Houston, then Houston is definitely taking a quarterback there. or if they trade it out to to houston then houston's definitely

taking a quarterback there miami's not at this point atlanta may be taking a quarterback but you know cincinnati and philadelphia aren't so you know miami cincinnati philadelphia are probably next from the quarterback list and then like i said if for whatever reason somehow a quarterback falls to 10 with dallas you you know you're, Chris Ballard probably calling the Cowboys saying, hey, let's make a deal. But yeah, I think Philadelphia is realistically the gold spot for the Colts to really kind of jump up into. That's going to be their most likely scenario if they're going to trade up for one of those top four quarterbacks in the draft. And like I said, Chris Ballard has said that he's going to trade up for the right guy. My concern is with this offseason, how's he really going to get to know these players? And how's he really going to get a chance to determine who the right guy is without being

able to meet them face to face, without being able to really scout them. You know, I was a huge fan of Trey Lance coming out of last draft and going into this draft. I said, Trey Lance is the guy that I think Chris Ballard will target in this draft. And that was back in May of last year. And they only played one game. And so how are you supposed to see how he's grown, how he's matured, what type of player he is off of basically without a full year? And you see Zach Wilson and this year with BYU just really put on a show.

But is that a one-year thing? What is he really? Justin Fields, Justin Fields, he's played now well two years in a row with Ohio State and really, you know, played fantastic this year, especially in the college football playoffs. And you saw the toughness, you saw the leadership there. Is that a guy that Chris Ballard really likes? Like you've got a lot of these guys and all four of these guys, really all three, because let's be real, you know, Trevor Lawrence is going number one overall to Jacksonville. But the other three guys are all that more modern style quarterback in the NFL.

Guys that are mobile, that can move the pocket, and that can really kind of get out and extend place with their feet. And that's really where the NFL is going. It's kind of where I think that Chris Ballard is looking to. And so, yeah, I think Philadelphia at six overall is kind of that money spot for the Colts to really trade up to. And that's probably the spot that they're looking at trying to get a deal done with. Which, and for Colts fans, if they are trading up for quarterback,

it won't happen until draft day because, and not until Philadelphia is on the clock, because they're not going to give away their plans to detroit or carolina because if they do it in advance then all of a sudden detroit and carolina know oh okay well we just have to get up to five to cincinnati and all we have to do is give them like an extra third round pick and then the colts are sitting there holding the bag with you know yeah okay they could take a left tackle there with a Penesual or a Rashawn Slater there at six overall but you don't trade up from 21 to six to take a left tackle let's hit on the next question here it's our last our last draft question and the rest is going to be mostly free and see in a priority list for

the Colts this offseason and this is from Trayv He asks, how would you guys rank Trey Lance, Zach Wilson, and Justin Fields? I know, Steven, you mentioned a week or two ago, you haven't really dove in much on these quarterbacks at all. That's going to be more so maybe in like March or April for you. As we get further in the offseason, we still have the correct positions in flux for the Colts. So I don't blame you on that. I haven't really done much diving myself yet.

I've only seen just a couple games here and there, especially Trey Lance last year. He's only played one game. Justin Fields, I watched pretty much a lot of his game this year. Zach Wilson, a couple games here and there as well. I'll start off here. I mean, honestly, I'd probably rank it as, it's really tough because I feel like all three of these guys are pretty even in how their attributes are. I'd probably go Zach Wilson, then I'd go Justin Fields and Trey Lance, but it's super close between all three of these guys. Trevor Lawrence is obviously quarterback one in this class,

Stephen, but I feel like two through four is very, very close. I don't know if you saw a report yesterday that I tweeted out on Locked on Colts that JMV, John Michael Vincent, the radio host of 10 Cent to the Fan, the JMV show over in Indy, he mentioned that, according to him, the last couple

of days, he's heard that the Colts really like Justin Fields. So if that's the scenario they're actually thinking about, that might have to be like a trip number three overall if you want to get a Justin Fields type because they could go to Atlanta or even go to the Jets at two. So you have to wonder on that scenario. But I'd rank them, honestly, Wilson, Fields, and Lance, but they're very, very close.

Steven, what's your thoughts on those three guys? Yeah, I agree with you that they're all really, really close. And this is just based on the little snippets that I know as of right now. Like you mentioned, I haven't really dove too much into the film on the quarterbacks this year. Based on kind of what I'm hearing and the little bits and pieces that I've read about these different quarterbacks, I'd probably rank it fields, Lance,

then Wilson just because I'd be a little bit concerned with Zach Wilson. And, and the fact that I've only really seen him do it like once. And, and I worry about the way that the type of system that you need to be in. And so I really like with Fields and Lance the fact that they've both played in systems that utilize both the shotgun and under center. I just feel like BYU's offense is a little bit more spread out and that Zach Wilson's game was more about evading pressure. And now don't get me wrong, he's a great quarterback and he always keeps his eyes down the field. And he's got some just elite ability in terms of anticipation on his throws. But my concern is his game, a lot of it is based on getting out of the pocket

and evading pressure and being mobile and moving around and extending plays versus I feel like Trey Lance and Justin Fields are more guys that you can expect to stay in the pocket and only evade, only get out in space if they need to. So that's kind of where I'm at with, that's why I'd rank Zach Wilson a little bit further down. And only not, I shouldn't even say that too much.

It's just slightly behind where I have fields and Lance. And that's kind of where I would sit at it. The fact that fields did it against big 10 competition and then did it in the biggest stage and the, the college football playoffs, you know, that, that plays heavily into the, to the decision as well is you look at, you look at game film, look at game film and fields did it against, you know, top teams weekend and week out and, you know, Trey Lance,

you were a little concerned about that. Zach Wilson, same thing. So, yeah, I'd probably rank it Fields, Lance, then Wilson. But like you said, it's like 2A, 2B, 2C, realistically. Next one here, Stephen, is from Zach, and he asks, if the Colts can't re-sign Xavier Rhodes because the price is too high out of Chris Bauer's range, are there any free agent cornerbacks that intrigue you this awesome that we can look at I think one for me just because I feel like this Colts secondary is so young they're probably

if they do let Rhodes walk it probably for another veteran this is a guy we've actually talked about multiple times in the show probably a little cheaper honestly than Xavier Rhodes again the open market Richard Sherman he's been a team captain he's a leader in the locker room I think he makes a lot of sense they let Rhodes walk and they go for a cheaper bet on Richard Sherman. Another guy maybe that makes some sense on the board here looking over the free agent list could be someone like a Chidobe Awuze from Dallas. I know Ibrafluz drafted him before he left in Dallas. That could make some sense.

Maybe you go after a young guy like Awuze. Outside of that, though, this free agent class honestly isn't that good. Shaquille Griffin from Seattle. I can't see Seattle letting him leave. They'll probably franchise him. They can't get a long-term deal done with Griffin. But it feels like, to me, honestly, Steve, if they don't bring back Xavier Rhodes,

it sounds like when the press conference, they still trust Rocky Asin a little bit. Probably next year is really a make-or-break year for him. Marvell Till, we don't know much about yet. But Kenny Moore is obviously your leader in the quarterback room. But you have to imagine they get a veteran there if they let Rhodes let roads walk so i put a lot of money if they let roads walk on richard sherman at the night sounds like from all the cases the niners are gonna let richard sherman walk at three it's anyways so that can make a lot of sense for both sides yeah i think

richard sherman makes a lot of sense and he has experience in this type of defense because realistically the colts they say they play a cover too but a lot of times it's more like a Seattle cover three shell um on it guys that I think might consider is and this isn't a guy that's a free agent like you look through the list and like Patrick Peterson's a free agent with Arizona but he's probably not going anywhere um you Josh Norman with Buffalo but again he's older he's 34 years old you worry about about the wear and tear whether that's really gonna gonna you don't see too many 34 year old cornerbacks in the nfl and that's just it is what it is um beyond that yeah the the free agent market for corners is pretty, pretty bare.

Guys I could see the Colts possibly acquiring is Marshawn Lattimore from the New Orleans Saints. New Orleans Saints are in, I think they have like $100 million over the cap right now. And they're going to need to extend Marshawn Lattimore. So they're going to need some, they're going to need to make some really tough decisions. And if they can get a day two pick for more Marshawn Lattimore I think they might trade him and that would be another one of those moves that I could see Chris Ballard making you get a guy a young all pro level cornerback for relatively cheap and you're able to plug him right into that defense and would not miss a beat

I still would like the Colts to re-sign Xavier Rhodes because I think he played really, really well in the system. He's such a great teacher for the defensive backs. That's the thing with Xavier Rhodes. It's something that you guys mentioned last year with the guys on Vikings is Xavier Rhodes is a teacher. He'll pull guys off to the side and answer their questions and be like, hey, you know, you're doing this wrong. Maybe think about doing it this way instead.

And so I think that's such a valuable thing to have in a young locker room, especially in the defensive back room, that I would love it if they were able to bring Xavier Rhodes back. But if they don't, I think Richard Sherman makes the most sense in terms of a free agent. And then if they're able to acquire somebody through a trade, I think Marshawn Lattimore from the New Orleans Saints makes a lot of sense as well. Pitting on our next question here, I don't know why the name's not popping up for me.

Let me pull it up real quickly for you guys because it's another quarterback question, and it's about Jared Goff from the Los Angeles Rams. They're very noncommittal about him right now, Steven, for obvious reasons. Very good year when they went to the Super Bowl a couple years ago, but ever since then he's regressed. Sean McVay really had that magic touch for a year or two with Goff, and then he kind of went back to where he was his rookie year. Levi Lewis is asking, the thoughts about Jared Goff as a plan B

if they don't get Matt Stafford. With that contract, I would hope for like a second round pick and return, but honestly I just don't think Jared Goff's that good, Stephen. I would not, I would avoid that pretty heavily if I was Chris Ballard. I'm not a fan of Jared Goff. To say the least, I'm not a fan of the way that he plays. He's had a very, very soft, very cushy spot being in Sean McVay's offense out there with the Los Angeles Rams.

He's able to – he's got a really, really friendly offense, and the fact is he's not putting up numbers like you would hope a guy in that type of offense would put up. And that's, that's concerning. Yeah, he's, he's had some dings. He's got that gigantic contract that really no team should, should really want any part of. And so that's kind of where I'm at with him is, is the talent just doesn't justify the contract. And if the Colts were to take him on, then I feel like it'd be one of those situations where the Colts would need something back

from the Rams to take on that contract because it is just such an albatross of a contract that Chris Ballard, I just don't see him wanting any part of that given the other options that are available at the corner, or the quarterback position. Are you ready for the Super Bowl, NBA, basketball, college sports? BetOnline.ag is the one place the Locked On Podcast Network trusts to its fullest.

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You're online sportsbook experts. Totally agree with you there. Definitely not fans of Jared Goff. And I have to imagine, well, it's going to be interesting to have Jared Goff as Austin because I feel like the Rams are a team that could get on Deshaun Watson or Matthew Stafford as a dark horse. I could see that honestly happening if they were to get aggressive enough. But next one here is from Mackenzie, and she asks,

with a Texas in disarray, would a push for J.J. Watt being the curse for Chris Bauer in the Colts offseason? Not going to be able to get Deshaun Watson, but J.J. in the back end of his career could be attainable. What do you think about that? Maybe for like a day two, early day three pick, or maybe if they cut him, maybe that's what J.J. JJ Watt would want maybe you cut him and let him choose his own destination could the Colts be an interesting team for JJ Watt to replace like a Danico Autry or Justin Houston

I mean they could uh I JJ Watts he still has a couple plays a game where he's dominant but he's not the player he used to be. He's had injuries every, I think, I don't think he's played 16 games in a season for the past like three or four years. And so I, I would be concerned about that. And I don't see Houston trading him to the Colts, to be honest, unless it's way over value. It's kind of similar to the fact that I don't see Houston trading him to the Colts, to be honest, unless it's way overvalued. It's kind of similar to the fact that I don't see Houston really trading Deshaun Watson to the Colts. I would, of course, love it if that happened,

but I just don't see it happening because you don't do that intra-division. J.J. Watt to the Colts, I mean, he makes sense for this defense. He's a really high-quality defensive end. I just think that Chris Ballard's more in the line of wanting to give those young guys an opportunity to grow and play and if they're going to re-sign somebody or they're going to sign a free agent, I think they're going to try to sign their own in Taniko Autry or Justin Houston or Al-Kadhi Muhammad. I know that they're really high on Al-Kadhi Muhammad and they really want him back.

And so that's kind of where I'd run in with that. Next one here on the list, I totally agree with you on Watt. I think it's more so if Watt does leave, I think he's going to go to Green Bay where he's from or he's going to go to Pittsburgh and play with his brother and TJ Watt. So I think the Colts wouldn't even really be much in this, honestly, if they were to. If JJ Watt were to hit the open market, maybe if he just wants revenge twice a year, it can make sense. But I think Green Bay and wouldn't even really be much in this, honestly, if they were to. If J.J. Watt were to hit the open market, maybe if he just wants revenge twice a year, it can make sense.

But I think Green Bay and Pittsburgh are probably the teams to watch for J.J. Watt this offseason. But next one here is from Numb Toad, and he asks, how would you guys rank the Colts' offensive priorities? Mine personally would be, number one, secure future quarterback. Two, address future at left tackle. Three, edge rush. Four, wide receiver to replace T.Y. Hilton eventually.

And then corner depth for number five. Honestly, that's a pretty good list he puts out there, Stephen. future at left tackle three edge rush for wide receiver to replace ty hilton eventually and in corner depth for number five honestly that's a pretty good list he puts out there steven the only thing i might flop there is maybe edge rusher and left tackle at two and three but outside of that i think he's pretty spot on what do you think about that list seems like a good list um quarterbacks obviously number one and and then left tackle edge those are those are like two a to b um because what's the the rules it's it's you need a quarterback you need somebody to protect the quarterback you need somebody to get the other team's quarterback and then you need somebody to catch passes from the quarterback and the other one is you need somebody to stop passes from the

quarterback um so yeah i i think that's a good list. It's quarterback, quarterback left tackle for me. One, two. And then I, quite honestly, I'd probably put wide receiver, wide receiver corner. And then now I'm probably quarterback left, edge, assuming that they don't re-sign Justin Houston, edge. And then I'd probably go corner wide receiver. Yeah. I think it's really solid, I mean, putting that list together. And I think that's really what the Colts are going to target in free A&C or the draft.

I think those positions are going to be very much targeted. Tight end, too, I'd throw in there as well. That can make a lot of sense for the Colts to target this offseason. I know Chris Bauer mentioned that as well. So did Jim Ursa. I talked about Travis Kelsey a couple of days ago. So maybe tight end is higher on the list than we all think that would not shock me at all.

But next one here is from, it looks like actually, yeah, it looks like the next one here is from money. Mayhem at Reed Mayhem, eight, two, three.

He said, any players come to mind regarding what Chris Bauer was asked if the Colts had the roster to add players with a quote-unquote checkered reputation? Is there any guys that cross your mind, Stephen, that's awesome where the Colts can maybe acquire that guy that has a checkered past? The only one I can think of, maybe Jameis Winston.

But outside of that, I think it's just more so talking about generality, if the locker room can handle a character like an Antonio Brown or a Le'Veon Bell. I think that's probably what he was going for there but the only guy really close to my mind as far as he could actually be on the Colts next year is Jameis. That's a that's an interesting I never really thought about I never really looked too much further into that than him just saying that he felt the culture of the locker room was to a point where they could add one I don't know if he actually had somebody in mind for that um you know if you're you're looking at somebody that that could be that then you know maybe Jadavion Clowney um for super cheap

uh Yannick Ngakwe is another one um who kind of has bounced around the past couple years that that would be a guy that you you may worry about a little bit um beyond that i don't i can't really think of anybody and i wouldn't necessarily even rule jamis winston as as a huge concern at this point because he's been pretty steady throughout his career. I know he had some issues when he was in college in that first year in Tampa Bay. But since then, he's been pretty squeaky clean from everything that I've seen. And I might have missed something because I don't really follow the boxer Jameis Winston too closely. So if I missed something, then by all means, correct me on that. But Jameis Winston to me is not even that much of a huge risk.

And especially given if they do sign him, he's not going to be for just massive, massive amounts of money. But yeah, I'm kind of popping through the list of available free agents, and I don't really see anybody that really stands out as a big character concern beyond like a Jadavion Clowney or Yannick Ngakwe, which they're not even that much of character concerns per se. It's just they are who they are. I think Chris Ballard was more making a blanket statement there about how he feels about the culture in this locker room and bringing in somebody in free agency that is going to make a lot of money so you know maybe somebody like an Alan Robinson

that they bring in there at the wide receiver position or or at Kenny Galladay or or Juju Smith-Schuster, Chris Godwin, one of those guys that if they are looking to replace T.Y. Hilton and really upgrade that position then those are guys that they would bring in and have to pay a lot of money to to make them happy and those are the guys that if you bring in a guy that's not on the roster bring in an unrestricted free agent give them a lot of money you have to make sure that that's not on the roster, bring in an unrestricted free agent, give them a lot of money. You have to make sure that that's the type of guy that's going to fit in this locker room and is going to not really upset the balance. But Chris Ballard feels really confident about

this locker room and the culture that they've been able to make. And, you know, looking at the players that they've acquired, it makes sense. Like they really do have a strong locker room at this point, even without a quarterback there at the helm, which is kind of mind boggling because normally it's the quarterback that sets, sets the locker room presence and sets that, that value, sets that cultural value. Last one here on the mailbag student. Appreciate the time as always. This one is from at spots, Kelly 62,

asking free agency keepers or release. Give us your rundown thoughts on the Colts understripped free agents. So I'll read off the list real quick, Steven, Jacoby Bursette, T Y Hilton, Justin Houston, Danico Autry, Malik Hooker, Xavier Rhodes, LaRaven Clark, Tavon Wilson, TJ Carey, Trey Burton, Chaz Green, Joey Hunt, Marlon Mack, Anthony Walker, Al-Kadhi Mohammed, and Ryan Allen, the practice squad punter. I think off that list, Stephen, the only guys I'd really realistically want to keep is T.Y. It sounds like we're all in the case of Jim Irsay, is that T.Y.'s probably going to be back next year.

I have to imagine probably a very cheap deal for like a one- or two- or three-year deal. I imagine that's what T.Y.'s going to get. So T.Y.'s probably a realistic option there. Xavier Rhodes might be another realistic option off that list. One of Autry or Houston, I could see coming back. I can't see both coming back at the same time. But another one could be TJ Carey, a great reserve that really kind of pushed Rockets in a lot this year.

Maybe bring him back on another one year deal. Outside of that though, I mean, I'd let the rest of those guys walk. I mean, what do you think, Steven? Read off that list. It feels like to me maybe T.Y. Rhodes, one of Houston or Autry, maybe bring back T.J. Carey as well and Al-Khadi Mohammed. But there's really not a lot of guys on this list I'd want to bring back. Yeah, that was a big list.

I was trying to remember it off the top of my head, and I could not. I think T.Y. Hilton will – I think they're going to try to resign him, like you said, at a pretty significant drop in contract value. So I don't know if T.Y. is really going to be okay with that. What you saw with T.Y. is he signed a lot of game-issued jerseys for some of his fellow wide receivers and players on the locker room. And everything that he wrote made it really sound like he was not expecting to be back. So that's one of those guys where I think that the Colts would bring him back at a pretty discounted rate.

But if they do go out and sign a free agent in the open market, then there's really no space for T.Y. Hilton on the team because you've got Michael Pittman on one side, that unrestricted free agent wide receiver that you bring in, and then you've got Paris Campbell running across the middle along with Zach Paschal, Ashton Doolin, Desmond Patman that you're really high on. And T.Y. was a step slow this year.

He wasn't what we would normally come to expect from him. With regards to the defensive end position, I think that you're looking at definitely re-signing Al-Kadhi Mohammed, because I really like the way his growth over the past, you know, handful of years. I think that he'd be a guy that they definitely look to re-sign. I think they're probably going to prioritize Justin Houston over Danico Autry. But I could honestly see them bringing – I think you're right. I think one of the two will be brought back.

In terms of the corner position, I think they're definitely going to bring back TJ Carey because of how well he played and how he was able to sub in at the slot position, which is a pretty significant position for the Colts defense. And when Kenny Moore went down, you know, two years ago, you saw how devastating that was to the defense. And even this past year, when T.J. Carey had to step in, he was able to make a pretty seamless transition there to that slot cornerback position. Xavier Rhodes is a guy I would love for them to re-sign. I think that he played really well in the system. I think he fits really well. As for the other guys,

Brissette, probably not. Marlon Mack, I think that was pretty clear that Chris Ballard had said in his press conference that, you know, unless it's like basically for that minimum deal, Marlon Mack's probably gone. You know, Joey Hunt probably going to be looking elsewhere. Yeah. I don't, I don't know the rest of the names on that list to be honest. Yeah. The, the punter is probably going elsewhere because I mean, shoot, you know, as long as Rigo's okay, then, then they're going to keep him. He's basically an all pro level punter um and so yeah that's that's kind of where I'm at with it I feel like Chris

Ballard is going to be very selective in the guys that he resigns um and they're going to be at positions that are detrimental so like I said I think TJ Carey gets resigned. Al-Qaidi Mohammed gets resigned. And then beyond that, who knows? I don't think that they're going to resign Anthony Walker. I don't think he was a name listed on that list. I don't think that they're going to look to resign him unless, again, it's for a really team-friendly deal. And who knows? Walker might come back for that. So that's kind of where that's kind of where I'm at with the, the Colts free agents. I think they're going to be really selective and I think we're going to see a lot more turnover this off season than what maybe some people expect.

Steven, always appreciate having you on man. You guys go follow him on Twitter. If you're not already at nice read Steve and go read list to his work as always over on stampede blue. Appreciate the time. I think seven, have a great one.