I agree with the first part. I felt like he would give it one more based on how we did this year.

Dont really understand (1) above. If Rivers came back it would only have been one year, so of course the colts were planning for the future. I believe ballard and reich would have welcomed rivers back for another year. It would only have precluded signing a vet. (2) is more likely. But its seems to me that (3) he knew it was time. Rivers said this felt like the first time it felt right to retire. Many have said that if you get to that point then you are already there.

I'm surprised as well. Figured by everyone's comments that he'd be back for another year and then we'd be handing the reins to Eason/early draft pick for the '22 season.

I wonder if his foot injury played into it as well. He may have gotten a few medical opinions on it with the consensus being that he'd have to have surgery and extensive rehab to play able to play next year vs. rest and rehab if he retired.

You might be right, ultimately only Rivers and/or the Colts know for sure. I’m just trying to read the tea leaves and figure out what’s really going on. The reason I question your (3) explanation is that it wasn’t just last offseason that Rivers was talking about returning, he said this only a little more than a week ago:

https://www.indystar.com/story/sport...re/6609040002/

So of course it's possible that he had a personal change of heart, but I tend to think from the entirety of the comments made by Rivers and the Colts that the decision was mostly on the Colts side. While Reich and Ballard said all the right things about how they loved Rivers, that he can still play, and would love it if he were the QB next season, it was typically couched with comments that Rivers AND the Colts needed to take some time to evaluate what was best for each of them. This seems consistent to me with the correct and respectful way you let a veteran QB go – let all the headlines say that Rivers made the decision.

We all know that Ballard is a planner, and is not afraid to move on from veteran players when he views a better option out there. Given all of these factors, I tend to think that this decision was driven more by the Colts than by Rivers himself. But of course I might be wrong. For what it's worth, I would have been perfectly happy with Rivers as our QB next season.

The injury is always a possibility as well. I guess if by the end of this offseason, it appears that the Colts had to scramble to find a passible QB, then I'll tend to agree with you or rcubed. If it looks like Ballard somehow pulled a rabbit out of a hat and lands us a high quality QB (Watson / Stafford / maybe even Wentz, Darnold, etc., or if Eason is the new QB and appears to be "surprisingly" competent), then I'll tend to think my current read on the situation is correct.

I'm glad Rivers didn't make us wait a month or pop It on us at the last minute like a certain other quarterback did. The search begins! Come on Ballard work that magic....

I guess I'm hoping for Eason to save the day. Not interested in Wentz, Darnold, Rosen, etc. Stafford is a "maybe" I guess.

If the reports about Ballard inquiring about Love are correct then this was not based on the Colts decision. The only way you say no to Rivers, especially this early, is if you already have something in place that’s an improvement. I do not believe Ballard is that big a gambler- or that irresponsible.

I want a Super Bowl victory. I don't think Rivers is capable of delivering that unless the rest of the team dominates. From that perspective I'm glad he retired. Issue is that there is no obvious replacement available, at least to a fan like me. This team is rounding into shape as a perennial contender if they can just fill the most important position reasonably. It will keep me interested

I had mixed emotions about him coming here but this year completely changed my opinion of him. Despite obvious limitations he gave his best from week to week and went out as a class act. No bullshit drama or indecision that would handicap us for an entire year.

Good. Glad he got it out of the way early.

On another note, thinking back, I remember Polian saying that there are 3 positions you don't pass up if you can get a good one: a passer (QB), a pass rusher (DE/OLB/Edge), and a pass protector (LT). For the past 20 years or so, definitely the Polian era but also most of the Grigson era, it seemed like the Colts were set at those positions and struggled to fill everything else. Now under Ballard, it seems like everything else is filled well and they're struggling to fill those positions.