The Indianapolis Colts Need To Invite Philip Rivers Back Next Season

The Indianapolis Colts barely fell to the Buffalo Bills in the first week of the playoffs. Their season wasn’t the prettiest but they got the job done to make it in, and they went toe to toe with one of the hottest teams in football. Now that their season is over there’s a ton of questions left to be answered.

First, what to do at quarterback. Philip Rivers had a respectable season despite claims he’d lost a bit. He’d finish this year with 4100+ yards, 200 more than his average per season. He threw right around the same amount of touchdowns this season and far fewer interceptions than last year. Where everyone is getting “he lost a little” this season isn’t really a fair assessment. He might not have as much zip on the ball, but as long as he’s still productive and winning football games it shouldn’t matter.

But say the Colts don’t bring Rivers back next season. Sure, they could go after a quarterback in a very deep draft pool this season. They could also sign one of the pending free agents, but neither of them would be as smart as if they just resigned Rivers to another 1-year deal. Yes, he is pushing into his 40th birthday before the end of next season but TomBrady is still playing at a high level at 43 so no excuse. He might not be as successful as Brady but he did just pass Dan Marino on the All-Time Passer list.

MORE NFL: Can Rivers Get Colts Back On Track?

The Colts will have to bring in another quarterback rookie or veteran, that will have to develop chemistry with their receivers. Being as they made the playoffs this year, they’re picking in the back 1/3rd of the draft and won’t likely get a top prospect. They don’t necessarily need one if they can find a rookie with enough upside, but even then it will take him well into the season to develop chemistry. A 10-win team who made the playoffs doesn’t need the setback of a QB trying to learn a new system. and bringing in a free agent to take the reigns only kicks the can down the road a little further.

Now the naysayers will point to Rivers and his inability to win the big games but the Colts were in that game against the Bills. His final few throws were a little off the mark but were a combination of bad plays and an attempt at late heroics.

Even if the Colts can bring in a quarterback to take the reigns from Rivers, he should be brought back in to bridge the gap. Even if the rookie comes in and is the perfect fit for the offense, he’ll still need to learn the speed of the NFL. Why take a team that was in sync and throw them off? Bring Philip Rivers back and let the rookie take over in the bye week if he’s got a firm grasp on the playbook and is making all the throws. If not, you roll with Rivers for one more season and the kid starts fresh the following year.