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The Indianapolis Colts just pulled the trigger on a trade with the Atlanta Falcons for veteran quarterback Matt Ryan, who will be replacing the departed Carson Wentz under center. There were also rumors about Baker Mayfield and Jimmy Garoppolo as Colts options, but they wound up going with Ryan.
ESPN's Dianna Russini has more insight on why Indy did not go with Garoppolo, and it has to do with concern about his surgically repaired shoulder:
So why didn't the Colts go after Jimmy G?
Form what I was told, there were concerns over the shoulder injury. Not so much the medical side of it but the idea of missing time in the offseason with a new team. This was a red flag.— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) March 21, 2022
As noted, Garoppolo's shoulder isn't expected to be a long-term issue. He should be healthy by the start of the 2022 NFL season. But the idea of him missing out on key work in the offseason was a problem for the Colts, who clearly wanted their new quarterback to be able to get those important reps in.
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Mayfield also had surgery earlier in 2022, though that was back in January. Still, perhaps a similar calculus played into that decision, though there's obviously a lot of other stuff going on with Mayfield and the Cleveland Browns.
In addition to the injury concerns, there was a report out Monday claiming that San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch is going around telling Garoppolo suitors he has two second-round picks on the table for the quarterback. That's a rich price if it's actually true, and the Colts wound up getting Ryan for just a third-round pick.
Ultimately, these quarterbacks are all average at best at this point, so Indy went with the most veteran option with less baggage.
