NFL Trade Rumors: Could Marcus Mariota be on his way to Indianapolis?

After Colts starting quarterback Carson Wentz went down with a serious foot injury last week, Las Vegas Raiders backup QB Marcus Mariota's name has been a hot topic in Indianapolis.

The 27-year-old playmaker is one of the most experienced (and highly paid) backup quarterbacks in the NFL, so it makes sense that Colts fans are calling for his acquisition.

However, nothing is ever that simple in the NFL, and there are a lot of factors to consider in trading for the former Heisman trophy winner.

Is a Marcus Mariota trade to the Colts likely?

The short, one-word answer is no, but this offseason has been one of the strangest in NFL history. At this point nothing would spring a surprise.

Carson Wentz is expected to be out between 5 to 12 weeks, which means he could be back for Week 1 of the regular season or he could miss several games.

So far, the Colts' front office has stayed quiet on any trade talks, which signals they are taking a wait-and-see approach to Wentz’s recovery. Head coach Frank Reich told ESPN that he's optimistic in regards to the QB's recovery.

“Knowing Carson, I’m optimistic, knowing this type of injury you don’t have to be pain-free to play in. You have to get to an acceptable level of tolerating pain and then you can start playing, That could happen early.”

These don’t sound like the words of a coach worried about not having his starting quarterback for half the regular season. Either that, or he's great at poker.

Speaking of gambling, Las Vegas sportsbooks do have Mariota at +600 odds to start Week 1 for the Colts.

Odds on who starts for the Colts in Week 1 (via @betonline_ag):Jacob Eason (-125)Nick Foles (+300)Brett Hundley (+500)Sam Ehlinger (+550)Marcus Mariota (+600)Philip Rivers (+1000)Cam Newton (+1200)Jimmy Garoppolo (+1200)

— Jaime Eisner (@JaimeEisner) August 3, 2021

The price for a Mariota move

What sort of package would the Indianapolis Colts have to offer the Raiders to acquire the second overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft?

A high draft pick is a given, whether that’s a future second-round pick or multiple third-, fourth- or fifth-round selections.

The good news for the Colts is that Mariota restructured his contract this offseason and will only count $3.5 million against the salary cap. The Colts, who have roughly $10 million in cap room, could easily absorb his contract this year.

.@derekcarrqb says he wants to catch a TD from Marcus Mariota just once. Said “don’t worry about Gruden, we’ll deal with it later.” #Raiders pic.twitter.com/1sLpQUL2ih

— Cassie Soto (@_CassieSoto) August 4, 2021

The Nick Foles factor

Another quarterback who has been heavily linked with the Colts is Wentz's former backup in Philadelphia, Nick Foles. The Super Bowl-winning QB does not seem to factor into the Chicago Bears’ long-term future, so he is definitely available.

He also has history with Colts head coach Frank Reich, who was the offensive coordinator for Philly when they won the Super Bowl. Again, the Colts haven’t shown any interest in him publicly, and Reich played down the links to Foles this week.

Foles would be easier to acquire than Mariota and he already has a relationship with the Colts head coach, so it would make sense for the Colts to go in that direction.