The Colts have endured a quarterback carousel like no other since Andrew Luck's surprising retirement in August 2019.
Since Luck's retirement, the Colts have had four different Week 1 starters: Jacoby Brissett, Philip Rivers, Carson Wentz and Matt Ryan. They will certainly have a fifth in 2023 after Ryan's struggles during what figures to be his only season in Indianapolis.
How will the Colts replace Ryan? They will have plenty of options. They are armed with the No. 4 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, so they will be in position to land a top quarterback talent there if they so desire.
But could Indianapolis pursue another veteran? It remains a possibility, though it isn't a foregone conclusion as it was in previous offseasons.
Below is a breakdown of the Colts' most likely quarterback options, starting with the players they could land atop the 2023 NFL Draft.
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Colts QB options for 2023, ranked
1. Draft Bryce Young or C.J. Stroud
The Colts are looking to select a quarterback with their first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. They have the No. 4 overall selection, their highest since they had the No. 1 pick in the 2012 NFL Draft and selected Andrew Luck, and should be positioned to land one of the top two passers in this year's draft.
It's just a matter of which one Indianapolis likes better.
Right now, Young would seemingly be the clubhouse leader. Owner Jim Irsay offhandedly mentioned him while introducing the team's new head coach, Shane Steichen.
“The Alabama guy doesn’t look bad, I’ll tell ya,” Irsay said.
Of course, Young could go to the Texans at No. 2. So, if the Colts don't trade up, they may be willing to select the big-armed C.J. Stroud instead. Stroud was a stud in Ohio State's College Football Playoff loss to Georgia and did a lot to improve his draft stock, even despite a solid season for the Buckeyes.
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Both Young and Stroud would provide the Colts with a talented, young passer with star potential. That's something that the team has lacked since Luck's retirement.
2. Draft Will Levis
It's likely that the Colts will be positioned to land either Young or Stroud, but there remains a chance that a team could trade up to the No. 1 selection with Chicago. If that happens — and it isn't the Colts moving up — then both top quarterbacks may be off the board when Indianapolis is picking.
The Colts could turn their attention to Levis in that scenario. The Kentucky product doesn't have the same track record of high-end performance that Young and Stroud do, but he has a big arm, good size at 6-3, 222 pounds and could develop well at the NFL level.
Levis completed 65.4 percent of his passes for 2,406 yards, 19 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in his final season with the Wildcats. He was playing with a banged-up shoulder so if he can get healthy, he should fit well in Steichen's offense.
3. Draft Anthony Richardson
Noticing a theme here? Yes, all of the Colts' top quarterback options are players that they could acquire in the draft. They need to focus on adding a young passer to the roster after settling unsuccessfully for veteran alternatives in five consecutive offseasons.
That said, it's unlikely that the Colts will end up selecting Richardson. He is in the mix to be a first-round pick, but he figures to be more of a mid-round option or a player who could sneak into the end of the top 10.
The Florida passer has a cannon of an arm combined with great size (6-4, 231 pounds) and mobility. However, he struggled with accuracy with the Gators, completing just 53.8 percent of his passes during his final season. He will need to refine his approach at the next level, though his mechanics don't appear to be irreparably broken.
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So, why aren't the Colts likely to go after Richardson? It's because they will almost certainly have a chance to land one of the top three quarterbacks in this year's class. Unless they like Richardson better than Levis, they won't need to go after Richardson, who would likely be the fourth quarterback on their big board.
But hey, maybe Chris Ballard and Steichen will fall in love with his skill set and swing big in the top five.
4. Sign Derek Carr, Jimmy Garoppolo or Jacoby Brissett
You can pencil in any long-time NFL starter or backup into this section and they would probably rank similarly. Nobody is questioning whether any of these players would be an upgrade for the Colts; the question is whether the Colts would want to take a veteran approach at quarterback again after it has backfired in recent offseasons.
In consecutive offseasons, the Colts have traded for Carson Wentz and Matt Ryan. Neither quarterback panned out, with Ryan's stint as starter being particularly disastrous.
Obviously, the Colts wouldn't have to trade for the likes of Carr, Garoppolo or Brissett. They would just need to give them a competitive deal and a chance to start. But would they want to do that instead of targeting one of the draft's top quarterbacks? That seems unlikely.
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The Colts could, however, do that in addition to adding a talented rookie. If so, Brissett would be the most likely of the bunch to sign as a potential bridge to that young passer.
As such, the Colts can't be ruled out in the sweepstakes for the mid-tier quarterbacks. Chris Ballard has a penchant for acquiring veteran quarterbacks, after all.
But certainly, this shouldn't be the top choice for the Colts. They need to retool their roster, and it will be harder to do that with a big-money quarterback onboard.
5. Sign Gardner Minshew and draft a Day 2 quarterback
Would this be the most exciting plan for Colts fans? No; not by a longshot. But would it be a good option for the team if they don't love the top quarterbacks in this year's class? Sure.
Minshew spent the last two seasons with the Eagles, so he is familiar with Steichen's system. He could be a fine bridge quarterback for the team if they decided to focus on rebuilding the rest of their roster before finding the quarterback they need to complete it.
It's also noteworthy that there are some intriguing non-first-round quarterbacks in the 2023 NFL Draft class. Tennessee's Hendon Hooker and Stanford's Tanner McKee stand out as two quarterbacks that have the tools needed to develop well in the NFL. They come with some issues — Hooker tore his ACL his final year at Tennessee while McKee had just a 28 to 15 TD-to-INT ratio at Stanford — but each was once considered a potential first-round pick.
If the Colts like either Hooker or McKee enough, they could target them at the beginning of Round 2 or trade into the end of Round 1 to get a fifth-year option on either passer. Then, they could develop them behind Minshew or let them compete with Minshew straight up for the starting job.
Is this approach sexy? No, but it's still something that the Colts could consider if their high-end options dry up quicker than expected.
6. Trade for Aaron Rodgers
This seems like the least likely path for the Colts to take. Perhaps Chris Ballard would consider trading for Rodgers at the right price, but it's not like acquiring him would make Indianapolis a sure-fire contender.
In each of the last few offseasons, a case could be made that the Colts could be a playoff contender with an upgrade at quarterback. However, the team has regressed in recent seasons while losing some of its depth and talent thanks to the resources it has repeatedly spent at the quarterback position.
Trading for the 39-year-old Rodgers would only continue that trend. It would cost the Colts prime draft real estate and it would do little to prop open their window for contention. In fact, it might not even make them favorites to win their own division, considering how good the Jaguars looked in Year 1 under Doug Pederson.
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As such, the Colts are probably better served sitting out the Rodgers sweepstakes and focusing on developing their quarterback of the future. Finding a cheap, talented passer on a rookie deal would do a lot more to set Indianapolis on the right course than a trade for Rodgers.
