Matt Ryan Is Just the Latest Colts Quarterback Mistake

The Indianapolis Colts benched Matt Ryan on Monday after a brutal 3-3-1 start that saw the former NFL MVP look like the aging fossil he is. In hindsight, the Colts should have seen this coming. Ryan looked washed in 2021 and somehow Indy decided to take on his massive contract. He's just the latest in a line of terrible quarterback decisions the Colts have made.

As Sportrac pointed out on Monday, since 2018 the Colts have handed out $145 million to 12 quarterbacks. Andrew Luck, Jacob Brissett, Philip Rivers, Carson Wentz and Matt Ryan have been the team's regular starters during that time and only Rivers and Luck have had any real success.

Among those contracts are $12 million to Luck in 2019 to not play, the nearly $31 million to Brissett from 2019 to 2020, $25 million to Rivers in 2020, $21.3 million to Wentz in 2021 and the $24.7 million the team is giving Ryan this season. That's a lot of money for a grand total of one playoff win in five seasons. Oh, and if that's not enough, Ryan has a $35.2 million cap hit for 2023 and if he's cut, the Colts will take an $18 million cap hit.

At this point, general manager Chris Ballard and head coach Frank Reich have to be on the chopping block right next to Ryan. There's no reason for either to keep their job unless there is a radical turnaround this season. The two men have just been lighting money on fire when it comes to quarterback decisions.