After waiting for the majority of the offseason, the Indianapolis Colts traded away quarterback Carson Wentz to the Washington Commanders on Wednesday.

The full terms of the deal included the Colts receiving three draft picks (two in 2022) while convincing the Commanders to take on the remainder of Wentz’s contract. That means $28.3 million in cap space was freed up for the Colts, giving them the most salary-cap space in the NFL.

While the Colts seem to be in the mix to trade for Jimmy Garoppolo, they could turn to free agency for a cheaper rental option.

The Colts aren’t likely to overspend just to bring in a quarterback but it wouldn’t be a surprise at all if they brought one in to be the bridge player for the future.

Here are five quarterbacks the Colts could consider in free agency following the Wentz trade:

1 Jameis Winston, 28

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One of the biggest names on the list of free agent quarterbacks is Winston. There is a strong chance he stays with the New Orleans Saints but if he hits the market, he’s an intriguing option for the Colts.

Winston’s play has shown to be just as volatile as Wentz’s was. However, Winston showed improvements in that area during the 2021 season before he tore his ACL in Week 8. He completed 59% of his passes for 1,170 yards, 14 touchdowns and just three interceptions.

His 102.8 passer rating during that stretch was far higher than his career rating of 87.8.

If Winston can continue to keep the ball out of defenders’ hands, he has the highest upside to keep the Colts competitive in 2022.

2 Teddy Bridgewater, 29

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If the Colts wanted to go the conservative route for 2022, Bridgewater might be the top option. It would likely mean a lower ceiling for the passing offense and he never really proved to be a game-changing asset in Denver despite the talent around him.

After the Broncos traded for Russell Wilson on Tuesday, Bridgewater is hitting the market. The Colts could bring him in for one season as a bridge quarterback while they figure out the best way to move up for a rookie in 2023.

Bridgewater would be a fine replacement for Wentz, but it’s a signing that wouldn’t move the needle much in terms of upside.

3 Marcus Mariota, 28

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After losing the starting gig with the Tennessee Titans in 2019, Mariota has spent the last two seasons as the backup to Derek Carr with the Las Vegas Raiders. Set to be a free agent now, Mariota is likely an option on the Colts’ radar.

What Mariota brings to the table is the ability to run more of an RPO offense. With Jonathan Taylor emerging as arguably the league’s best running back, Frank Reich’s offense will continue to feature the RPO heavily.

Mariota hasn’t shown much upside as a passer since his 2016 season, but his skill set is intriguing enough to consider a cheap, one-year deal for the 2022 campaign.

4 Mitchell Trubisky, 27

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After failing to live up to the standards as the No. 2 overall pick from 2017, Trubisky spent the 2021 season behind Josh Allen in Buffalo. He didn’t do much in the way of eight pass attempts, but it appears he’s going to create some buzz in free agency.

The Colts should do what they can to avoid overpaying for Trubisky in free agency. Even if the year off in Buffalo did him some good, it couldn’t have changed his game all that much from his time in Chicago.

What Trubisky brings is an element with his legs that could help the Colts keep the RPO qualities in the playbook. He has a good arm as well but his decision-making and erratic accuracy likely didn’t go away after a year off.

5 Andy Dalton, 34

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The only reason Dalton is on this list is because the Colts had some interest in him following the 2019 season. If the Colts want to go with the grizzly veteran option, Dalton is probably the best of the crop. But that’s not really saying much.

Spending the last two seasons with the Dallas Cowboys (2020) and Chicago Bears (2021), Dalton has started 15 games. Nine of them came after Dak Prescott’s ankle injury in 2020 while Dalton was the starter in Chicago before rookie Justin Fields took over.

Dalton isn’t a great option to consider and all of the players on this list above him should be considered first. But the Colts did have interest in the past so it wouldn’t be a surprise if they did again.