By: Jake Rajala

The Indianapolis Colts have made fascinating and truly bright quarterback moves this offseason. The Colts shipped out Carson Wentz after virtually sacrificing him on any online Jacksonville altar and then deemed it necessary to find a more sharp veteran QB to replace Wentz.

On March 21st, the Colts acquired the savvy former Falcons legend, Matt Ryan. The Colts received Ryan, while the Falcons scooped up a third-round pick. Pat McAfee has already screamed to the rooftop on how Ryan can be the game manager that the Colts need at the very least. It appears that Ryan and Jonathan Taylor are an impressive QB-RB duo, but the Colts still have to add more fuel to their offense and team this offseason.

Ryan is truly an underrated QB that can take care of the football, make the right adjustments, and be clutch in the 2-minute drill (after all, his name is Matty Ice). From 2018 to 2020, Ryan unveiled three 4,500+ passing yard seasons and he also averaged 29 passing touchdowns in that three-year span.

I do believe that Ryan is wiser than Wentz and he can operate the play-action game with JT better than Wentz. I still wouldn’t expect Ryan to have drastically different numbers than Wentz in the near future. The former Colts QB threw 27 passing touchdowns last season, 7 interceptions, and he also threw 3,563 yards. I do believe that Ryan will be a difference-maker in clutch moments.

The Colts lost a plethora of matchups by a razor-thin margin last season. Indy lost the following matchups: Week 17 against the Raiders by a field goal, a Week 2 blood-bath against the Rams, a Week 5 game against the Ravens, and a Week 8 loss against the divisional foe in Tennessee.

All in all, the Colts will have a stronger likelihood of making the playoffs with the switch from Wentz to Ryan next season. He will have Michael Pittman (1,082 yards, 6 touchdowns), but he desperately needs a WR2 and WR3. If the Colts can bring in a modest WR and/or potentially T.Y. Hilton, I would expect Ryan to be more explosive than Wentz for the Colts in the near future, but I don’t believe he will look like his 2016 version right out of the gate. I still quietly love his ceiling in Indy.

With that said, I do believe Ryan has many years before he’s “washed up” and I do expect the Colts to eventually sign a talented WR2 for him. I do love the image of Ryan with the Colts, JT, Pittman, their imposing defense, and another toy for 3-4 seasons together. I really believe the Colts will reap the benefits of his ability and he can be a steal in “dynasty” fantasy leagues at the moment. He might not be a Top 5 QB in 2022, but I believe he can follow Matthew Stafford by having an unusually positive future with his new squad in the back end of his career.

The post Matt Ryan’s outlook with the Colts appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Chinmay Kulkarni

The art of using social media to make claims, muddle the story, and keep people guessing is getting increasingly rare, as people post random hot sports takes on the internet like ”˜Jameis Winston is a Hall of Famer’. However, internet commenters aside, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has a knack of sending people spiraling while he plays 5D chess with the entirety of sports media.

Rodgers recently took to social media to relieve his own opinions of the Packers season, his teammates, his personal life, and his future in the NFL. While not an entirely surprising move on his part, Rodgers tends to be a private person with respect to his decisions – keeping speculations at an all-time high while the NFL media tries to piece together his cryptic messages like Nicholas Cage in National Treasure. In this Instagram post, he specifically mentions his best friends on the team and posted a particular image of an empty spot between receivers Randall Cobb and Davante Adams during the national anthem, a spot where Rodgers typically stands.

While the Packers QB was absent during that game, the image still spurs speculation on whether that empty spot could symbolize Rodgers leaving the Packers for another team. The text of his Instagram post was also reminiscent of a goodbye to his teammates, a potential way to end his chapter with the Packers.

While slithery has been at an all-time high, the point remains that a speculated move from the Packers has been anticipated for the past few seasons. Friction between the Packers front office, Matt LaFleur, and Rodgers has caused a deterioration of relationships between the parties, spurring a potential move to the Broncos, Steelers, Niners, or other teams. In the meanwhile, Rodgers likely anticipated the fall out of his post and proceeded to clear his story in person on the Pat Macafee show. He said he loved the moment where Tae and Cobb stood on the sideline and there was no hint of leaving the Pack immediately.

Therefore, while the story remains on the backburner with the shadow of an impending move coming ever so closer, we’ll likely have to wait for the blockbuster trade during the summer.

The story of Former Packers OC Nathaniel Hackett throws a greater wrench in a potential move from Rodgers. Hackett was one of the individuals receiving praise during the Instagram story, all while moving for the head coach job for the Denver Broncos. However, Rodgers has clearly stated in interviews that Hackett is one of his personal favorites. With the Broncos looking to move on from Bridgewater or Lock, John Elway has been bold by making it evident to pursue QB prospects like Aaron Rodgers or Kirk Cousins in the offseason. Could we see an overhaul between these two teams involving the plethora of good receiving talent on both teams ”“ it seems likely.

If the Broncos were to somehow get both Rodgers and Davante Adams, they would still pay a heavy price in the talent to lose. We’d likely see Teddy Bridgewater make his return to the NFC North, this time with the Packers, as well as receiving threats such as Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton, plus numerous picks being moved.

If Tae and Rodgers can go to Denver, I expect that to be his favorite last hoorah. If Rodgers can’t jump ship with Adams, it seems that Rodgers will remain in Lambeau with Adams and LaFleur. It seems that the Packers won’t let Tae leave (they should franchise tag him), so I expect Rodgers + Adams to remain in Green Bay. Adams was Rodgers’s biggest reason to come out guns blazing in 2021.

There is a chance Rodgers ends his career. Rodgers has always been a cerebral personality, tending to other parts of his life, particularly with a passion for travel and hosting Jeopardy. While these options may seem in the realm of unlikely, Aaron Rodgers has never held back from the media to surprise everyone”¦.

The post Recapping the Aaron Rodgers Drama appeared first on Pro Football Mania.