Some wondered if the Indianapolis Colts were a potential free-agent destination for Tom Brady. On Tuesday, Colts head coach Frank Reich acknowledged that the club did take a look at Brady, but ultimately determined that Philip Rivers was a better “fit,” according to Stephen Holder of The Athletic.

It would certainly be interesting to hear how Indianapolis came to that conclusion.

Yes, Brady is significantly older than Rivers, as he will be 43 years old at the start of next season while Rivers is just 38, but a legitimate argument can be made that Brady actually had a better year than Rivers in 2019.

Rivers spent the first 16 seasons of his NFL career with the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers, and while he experienced a great deal of individual success, making eight Pro Bowl appearances, he experienced a rather sharp decline this past year.

The North Carolina State product had one of the worst seasons of his career in 2019, throwing 23 touchdowns and 20 interceptions and ending a streak of three straight Pro Bowl selections.

Of course, Brady did not exactly have a great year himself, finishing with 4,057 yards, 24 touchdowns and eight pick while completing just 60.8 percent of his passes. As a result, the all-time great missing the Pro Bowl for the first time since 2008, when he was knocked out for the season in Week 1 due to a torn ACL.

RECOMMENDED (Article Continues Below)
Gisele Bündchen surrounded by piles of cash.

Spencer See ·

Still, it should be noted that Brady had far inferior weapons to Rivers this past year, and he also took much better care of the football.

Either way, the Colts obviously felt they would be better off going with the younger Rivers. Brady then went on to sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.