The Indianapolis Colts have had a huge offseason this year with general manager Chris Ballard making it very clear that he will not accept mediocrity.
Right off the bat when free agency opened up, the Colts made a blockbuster trade to acquire DeForest Buckner from the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for the No. 13 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. Soon after that move, the Colts agreed to a one-year, $25 million contract with free agent star quarterback Philip Rivers.
It was clear coming into the offseason that the Colts were not happy with the production they received at quarterback in 2019. Jacoby Brissett took over from Andrew Luck after the latter's surprising retirement just ahead of the season. He did his best, but Brissett simply isn't the guy that is going to lead the Colts to a Super Bowl.
So, with that in mind, the Colts were looking for one of the top quarterbacks in free agency. Early on, they were connected with Tom Brady, Rivers, and even at times Teddy Bridgewater. Nick Foles was also rumored to be on their wishlist. However, the Colts decided on Rivers and they could not be more excited to have done so.
Last season with the Los Angeles Chargers, Rivers put together a disappointing season. He threw 20 interceptions on the season and many fans and media members began calling him washed up. Some still believe the Colts made a mistake by picking him to be their new starting quarterback.
Despite the 20 interceptions, Rivers did put up good numbers in other categories. He completed 66 percent of his pass attempts for 4,615 yards and 23 touchdowns. Those numbers don't show a “washed up” quarterback.
All of that being said, let's dive in and take a look at what the Colts and their fans should be expecting from Rivers in 2020.
What Exactly Should Be Expected From Philip Rivers In 2020?
To start things off, let's take a look at how the move from the Chargers to the Colts should help Rivers improve. Most obviously, the Colts have one of the best offensive lines in football, while the Chargers did not last season. Rivers was under pressure quite often and he simply is not a mobile quarterback that can deal with that pressure.
From a targets perspective, Rivers is going to miss Keenan Allen. However, he has T.Y. Hilton, who is one of the NFL's most underrated superstars, along with Parris Campbell, Michael Pittman Jr., Zach Pascal, Jack Doyle, Trey Burton, Marlon Mack, and Jonathan Taylor. All of those weapons are quality targets for Rivers and should help him turn things around.
Frank Reich is also an upgrade for Rivers. The veteran quarterback has worked with offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni before and Reich is a top-notch offensive mind. It has been clear early on in the relationship between Rivers and Reich that both men are excited to work with each other and love what they have learned about each other thus far.
Predicting a full season's statistics for any player is a difficult task, but we will do our best for Rivers in 2020. It would be reasonable to expect right around 4,000 passing yards for 30 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. He is still going to turn the football over a bit, but the Colts need a quarterback who isn't scared to attempt big plays.
Indianapolis will be a much better football team this year than they were in 2019. Rivers is a massive upgrade over Brissett and he should lead the Colts back to the playoffs.
Rivers will not only play a strong 2020 season, but he will earn another deal from the Colts. More than likely, he will have another year or two under center in Indianapolis before he decides to retire from the NFL.
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