Report: Jason Campbell turns down Colts' offer to unretire

With starting quarterback Andrew Luck sidelined for the foreseeable future with a lacerated kidney and a torn muscle in his abdomen, the Indianapolis Colts are looking to add a quarterback to backup new starter Matt Hasselbeck.  Yesterday, Pro Football Talk reported that the Colts were targeting Jason Campbell and were trying to lure him out of retirement to fill that role, but it sounds like that won't be happening.

According to CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora, Campbell turned down the Colts' offer to unretire.

Jason Campbell has rebuffed Colts overtures to bring him in. Not going to happen. He's essentially retired

— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) November 12, 2015

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported yesterday that four teams have tried to get Campbell to unretire this season but none have been successful, and that if Campbell returns it will be next season instead of this year.  So, while the Colts reportedly were trying to lure Campbell out of retirement, it won't be happening.

Indy's interest in Campbell makes sense when considering the fact that he started eight games for the Browns in 2013 under head coach Rob Chudzinski - who is the Colts' new offensive coordinator.  Bringing in a quarterback who Chud is familiar with and who knows the system would be a logical move, as Campbell could help make the transition as Chud figures to put in more elements of his own offense into the playbook.

Ultimately, however, this isn't a huge deal for this reason: if Matt Hasselbeck goes down, the Colts are in serious trouble no matter who they get to back him up.  It's trouble enough with Andrew Luck hurt, but Hasselbeck is as good of a backup as there is in the league.  He showed earlier this year that he's more than capable of filling in as the starter, and he should be able to do that again over the next month or so.  So if something happens to him, the Colts are in major trouble (so please, Matt, if you're reading this, stay away from Chipotle for the time being).

The Colts still need to sign a backup quarterback for Hasselbeck, however, as they're not just going to roll with him and then Alex Tanney on the practice squad.  They have options, such as the recently released Charlie Whitehurst, who was previously the backup for the Tennessee Titans.  He's not great, but he has played recently and has started some games over the past few years, which would give Indy a reliable veteran behind Hasselbeck.  Regardless of who they go after, however, two things are clear: they need to add another quarterback and let's hope he never sees the field.