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The Indianapolis Colts are officially out of the potential Derek Carr sweepstakes, according to The Athletic’s Zak Keefer. In a tweet, Keefer said the “Colts are **not** trading for Derek Carr.”
On January 13, Carr, the Las Vegas Raiders quarterback, made his situation official when he posted his goodbye to Raiders fans in posts on Instagram and Twitter. The goodbye is the surest sign that quarterback expects to suit up for a new club in 2023 after his benching in favor of Jarrett Stidham ahead of the final two games of the regular season
“I look forward to a new city and a new team who, no matter the circumstance, will get everything I have. Winning a championship is what I’ve always wanted and what I will continue to work towards,” Carr wrote in his post.
Indianapolis Colts Fans React to the Derek Carr Report
As recently as December 30, NFL insiders acknowledged that there were rumors linking the Colts and Carr, even if they were skeptical of the pairing.
“The Colts front office has been a believer of Carr’s over the years and would have loved to have a chance at him last offseason,” the Indianapolis Star’s Nate Atkins wrote, noting that owner Jim Irsay could have more say than general manager Chris Ballard in the decision on whom to hire. “The offseason has shown that the real man in charge of these decisions in Indianapolis is the owner. … With Irsay, nobody can rule out anything. He could fall in love with Carr like he did Ryan. But even if he does, the chance is still likely about zero.”
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell called the pairing a “logical solution” to the Colts need at QB. Even with the Colts’ recent failures regarding finding a starter at quarterback, the report that Indianapolis would not attempt to acquire Carr was met with praise on social media.
“Oh thank god thank you @zkeefer,” tweeted one fan replying to Keefer’s report.
“Thank god,” tweeted two different fans.
And another fan tweeted: “Thank the gods for that! Enough is enough!”
Indianapolis Colts’ Chris Ballard: ‘We Understand the Importance of the Position’
In the four seasons since Luck’s retirement, the Colts have no playoff wins and only one postseason appearance. The team’s strategy of plugging in a veterans (Phillip Rivers in 2020, Carson Wentz in 2021 and Matt Ryan in 2022) has not panned out. In fact, the Colts have suited up seven different quarterbacks, including three in 2022 alone. So the Colts could look to the draft, where they have the No. 4 overall pick, their highest since 2012 when they drafted Luck.
“We understand the magnitude of where we’re at in the draft,” general manager Chris Ballard said during his January 10 postseason press conference. “And we understand the importance of the position. To get [a quarterback] that actually you can win with and be right is the most important thing. Not if we take one or not. But being right.”
Everything is on the table for the upcoming draft, Ballard said, including trading up for a quarterback if a prospect is determined to be the “right” guy.
“I’d do whatever it takes, if we thought there’s a player that we’re driven to get that makes the franchise and the team better that’s what we would do.” Ballard said.
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