Coming into the 2019 season, the Indianapolis Colts had a superstar franchise quarterback and were in-line to be serious Super Bowl contenders for a long time.

Things seemingly changed overnight for the organization, though. Everything changed when Andrew Luck announced his surprise retirement during the preseason.

Suddenly, the Colts went from Super Bowl contenders to an afterthought. People were seriously wondering if they would be one of the worst teams in the NFL.

They were not nearly as lost as the hot takes thought, though. The reason for that was Jacoby Brissett. Indianapolis had a backup quarterback that any team would love to have. Brissett was plugged into the offense, and things went pretty smoothly.

Now, we won't pretend like the offense was the same. It's nearly impossible to replace Luck. Brissett helped keep the offense afloat though. They were competitive and went 7-9 on the year. Indianapolis was in the playoff hunt even in Week 17. That's a lot better than almost anyone expected.

Now there is talk of finding a new quarterback though. There is certainly precedent for it too. The logic is simple. Indianapolis feels they have a team that can compete with the right quarterback. Maybe they don't think Brissett is the answer.

It's simply too early to give up on Brissett, though.

There are two routes the Colts could take to replace Brissett: signing a veteran in free agency or selecting someone in the draft.

If Indianapolis goes via the draft, they would likely be taking a project. Drafting 13th, there's a strong chance several quarterbacks have already been taken. So the top prospect won't be there.

That means they would be taking someone a little later. Brissett would be in line to be replaced, but he would still be in the starting role. From there, he would likely have at least one full season to prove he's the starter long-term.

However, if they go to free agency, Brissett could be immediately usurped. There might be players like Tom Brady and Philip Rivers coming to town. They won't be backups to many.

Would it be worth it? Not really. A lot of veterans might be able to come in and help get the Colts over the hump. Couldn't Brissett grow into that, though?

In 15 games, the quarterback completed 60.8% of his passes for 2,942 yards and 18 touchdowns while throwing for six interceptions. He also had 228 rushing yards and four more touchdowns on the ground. Indianapolis also went 7-8 in the games Brissett started.

Oh, and he did that with an extremely injured and limited supporting cast. Let's not pretend like Brissett was throwing to a bunch of All-Pro talents.

That was in just his second season as a starter (the first coming back in 2017). Give the 27-year-old time to develop. Give the players around him time to develop as well.

A lot of teams have made the mistake of giving up on someone special because they were impatient. The Colts have a team that can grow with their quarterback. So don't give up on Brissett just yet. You may come to regret it.