The Indianapolis Colts made it to the AFC Championship Game this past season thanks almost solely to the courageous efforts of quarterback Andrew Luck and mounting injuries to Peyton Manning.
The team has made it a priority to increase the talent level around their young franchise signal-caller this offseason and GM Ryan Grigson and head coach Chuck Pagano may be close to adding a couple of big names that would immediately upgrade the offensive skill positions in Indy.
According to a report from Lance Zierlein of NFL.com, both wide receiver Andre Johnson and running back Frank Gore are headed to the Colts.
"Got this from someone close to 80: "Dre on owners private jet headed to Indy. He called Gore & they agreed both to Indy. Philly wanted both," Zierlein tweeted.
This development, if true, highlights the incredibly appealing nature of having your franchise quarterback already in place.
Gore, reportedly set to join the Philadelphia Eagles once the NFL free agency period officially kicked off, backed out Monday night after giving it some further thought.
His reasoning: the chance to work with Luck in Indy and the lack of an answer at the game's most important position in Philadelphia.
For Johnson, one of the NFL's most dominant receivers and really the only truly elite player the Houston Texans franchise has ever had, the desire to go to a contender with one of the game's best quarterbacks already in place most likely burned even brighter than for Gore.
After years of playing with the likes of David Carr, Matt Schaub and Ryan Fitzpatrick, Johnson is likely salivating at the notion of playing with Luck. The 33-year-old future Hall of Famer had a down year last season, yet still managed to haul in 85 receptions for 936 yards.
Add in the weapons already in place for the Colts - T.Y. Hilton, Donte Moncrief, Coby Fleener and Dwayne Allen - and the Colts could suddenly become one of the teams to beat in the AFC.