Colts’ GM Chris Ballard Noncommittal on Quarterback Carson Wentz for 2022 Season

Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard give his annual season-ending press conference on Thursday afternoon.

One thing that stood out most was Ballard’s answers regarding quarterback Carson Wentz’s future with the team.

“At the time, we felt it was the right decision. I’m not going to make a comment on who is going to be here next year and who is not,” Ballard said.

“I thought Carson did some good things, Ballard continued, and I thought there were some things he needs to do a lot better.”

Ballard met with Wentz Wednesday to discuss how the season ended. He told Wentz, “Make the layups. Just make the layups.”

When referring to the team in general, Ballard also emphasized the importance of having stable quarterback play.

“We’ve got a lot of good players and a lot of good pieces. You’ve got to have stability at the quarterback position, and he has to play up to his potential.”

Ballard also noted that Wentz’s cap hit won’t have much bearing on the team’s decision this offseason. For context, Wentz’s cap hit for the 2022 season is $28.3 million. If Indy were to cut him, they could save $13.3 million, and the dead cap hit would be $15 million.

One of Ballard’s more telling quotes came after he spoke on not wanting to ‘keep bandaid-ing the quarterback position.’

“I’d like Carson to be a long term answer. But sometimes it doesn’t work out that way,” Ballard said.

What’s also noteworthy is Ballard’s comments, which are similar to that of Frank Reich’s from earlier in the week. Reich, like Ballard, wouldn’t commit to Wentz long-term either.

Given Ballard’s comments, it sounds as if the Colts may be back to having the same questions at quarterback that they’ve had since Andrew Luck’s retirement. The quarterback position has been a revolving door since 2019, and after just one season, it appears as though Wentz may not be the answer the team had been hoping for long term.