At the beginning of the NFL free agency period, the Indianapolis Colts were silent players in the fight to sign 42-year-old quarterback, Tom Brady. While looking at Brady as a potential option, the Colts also looked at Philip Rivers. When the future NFL Hall of Famer announced that he would not be returning to the New England Patriots, Colts head coach Frank Reich took a thorough look at Brady’s tape.
“The guy is incredible. I mean, I watched all of (Brady’s) tape from the last two years,” Reich told the media in a conference call. The Colts head coach still believes Brady is playing at a “super high level.”
Colts Silently Look At Free Agent, Tom Brady
Reich Sees Potential In Philip Rivers
Another contender caught the eye of the Colts head coach. Reich also added that while watching tape of all free-agent quarterbacks, he did not see any dropoff in the play of 38-year-old Rivers. Reich said adding Rivers is a “crazy, unique opportunity.” Rivers also has connections with some of the Colts coaching staff.
After taking a look at both quarterbacks very carefully, Reich believed Rivers would be a better fit for the team. The Colts wanted a “bridge” quarterback and thought Brady would not accept that role. Rivers quickly became the clear choice to sign over Tom Brady. “I don’t know if I’d say [Brady] wasn’t a fit. There’s always a fit when you have a great player when you have maybe the best player of all time,” Reich said. “There’s a lot of factors that go into these things.”
The Colts Choose Rivers Over Brady
In the end, the Colts signed the former Los Angeles Chargers quarterback over Tom Brady. Rivers was signed to a one year deal worth 25 million.
Reich believes the team made the right decision in pursuing Rivers over Brady. “I have the utmost respect for [Brady] as a player and competitor,” Reich said. “For us, we got the guy we thought was the right fit for us, but this is a guy who I respect and admire immensely, obviously along with everybody else. … The way this thing went, we felt good about it.” In 228 career games, River has thrown for 59,271 yds and 397 touchdowns. He carries a completion percentage of 64.7% and a 95.1 QBR.
Colts former quarterback, Jacoby Brissett, struggled in his first year at the helm. Because Rivers has a lot of experience, he can pass his knowledge to the young quarterback. Rivers has proved he has the tools to take his team on a deep playoff run. The eight-time pro bowler hopes to confirm that the Colts made the right decision.
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