Philip Rivers has announced his retirement from the NFL, leaving the Indianapolis Colts with a hole at the sport’s most important position.

A playoff team without a high draft pick, the Colts are unlikely to hand hand the reins over to a rookie quarterback in 2021. A few trade candidates stand out as potential options for Indianapolis.

Carson Wentz is the second betting favorite to be the Colts’ Week 1 quarterback with 7/2 odds, according to BetOnline. Matthew Stafford is third with 9/2 odds, followed by Andy Dalton at 5/1.

Jacoby Brissett, Rivers’ backup in the 2020 season, has the best odds to be Indianapolis’ Week 1 starter with 3/1 odds. Brissett was the Colts’ starter in 2017 and 2019.

Brissett first got his chance to play for Indianapolis when Andrew Luck got hurt, and then again two years later when Luck abruptly retired. Considering the team acquired an upgrade over Brissett last offseason, it only makes sense that they will look to do so this year.

Wentz is a fit for the Colts in multiple respects. The Philadelphia Eagles benched Wentz for Jalen Hurts, who appears to have a handle on the starting job moving forward. Wentz had his most successful season when Colts head coach Frank Reich was the Eagles offensive coordinator in the 2017 season.

A borderline untradeable contract, however, could prevent a deal from happening. Philadelphia would be forced to take a $34 million salary-cap hit by sending Wentz elsewhere.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport has reported that Wentz would prefer Indianapolis over several other destinations if he becomes available on the trade market.

Stafford has a more team-friendly contract. He was much better than Wentz in 2020, and the Detroit Lions could look to rebuild and move on from the veteran. Detroit owns the seventh pick in the upcoming draft after completing its third-straight losing season.

While Wentz was among the league’s worst starters in the regular season, Stafford remained productive. Stafford threw for 4,084 yards, 26 touchdowns, 10 interceptions and a 96.3 passer rating.

Dalton would be the simplest move. He’s headed for free agency after serving as Dak Prescott’s backup with the Dallas Cowboys.

Prescott went down for the season with an injury in Week 5 and Dalton had a mediocre campaign with an 87.3 passer rating in 11 games.

Matthew Stafford Philip Rivers Colts
Philip Rivers #17 of the Indianapolis Colts during game action as Matthew Stafford #9 of the Detroit Lions watches from the sidelines in the fourth quarter at Ford Field on November 01, 2020 in Detroit, Michigan. Rey Del Rio/Getty Images
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