Colts are tearing it all down and the rebuild comes with one enormous problem

Enough of the losing, enough of a roster that hasn't lived up to expectations and, perhaps most tellingly, enough of pretending this thing is headed anywhere. First came the firing of longtime general manager Chris Ballard. Then, on Tuesday, the Colts shipped eight-time Pro Bowl guard Quenton Nelson to Seattle and three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle DeForest Buckner to San Francisco.

And just like that, the rebuild was officially underway. Two of the franchise's most recognizable players were gone, replaced by three future draft picks, none earlier than the third round. At 2-5, Indianapolis seems ready to concede that the season is all but over.

There's a reasonable argument for moving veterans on expiring contracts rather than watching them leave for nothing in March. But here's the catch: The Colts traded their 2026 and 2027 first-round picks, along with wide receiver Adonai Mitchell, to the Jets last November for Sauce Gardner. So while they're now tearing down the roster, Indy won't have a first-round pick to show for its struggles in either draft.

Put in much starker terms: The worse the Colts get, the better the Jets' draft pick becomes (what New York does with those picks is another matter entirely). And that raises a bigger question: When NFL teams decide halfway through a season that it's time to blow things up, what happens next? And how often does starting over actually work?

Below are five recent examples that offer some perspective. The results range from remarkable turnarounds to prolonged misery, but they share one unmistakable similarity: Every team eventually used a top-seven draft pick on a quarterback. That's precisely the opportunity Indianapolis won't have in 2027 unless it finds another way back into Round 1.

The Dolphins didn't just move aging veterans in 2019. They traded 25-year-old left tackle Laremy Tunsil, 22-year-old safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, receiver Kenny Stills and running back Kenyan Drake — basically putting the entire roster up for sale. And the returns were substantial.