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The Indianapolis Colts must have zero belief that Anthony Richardson is capable of being a starting quarterback in the NFL. That is the only logical conclusion one can draw from their decision to go with Daniel Jones as their starting quarterback for the 2025 season, while also giving him a lengthy leash to play through.
It’s not only nonsensical, but it sets the stage for what could be a completely wasted season of football where they do not get anything from it.
Whether the Colts decided to go with Jones or Richardson, their ceiling was unlikely to change.
They’re not a Super Bowl-contending team, and they may not even be a playoff team. The Colts have a very flawed roster that is probably more than just one quarterback away. But that’s part of the reason why it would have at least made sense to give Richardson one more run at it.
While the early part of his career has been filled with injuries and inconsistency, he is still a player they used a No. 4 overall pick on.
He is also a player who is still full of talent, a big arm and — in theory — a lot of potential.
He is in a lot of ways still a mystery and something of an unknown as an NFL player. He’s played only 15 games, thrown just 348 passes and is still 23 years old. There is still something there that a team can dream on. It would make sense to try to see if he can figure it out given that unknown potential and upside.
Jones, on the other hand, is the complete opposite in every way.
He is a mostly known commodity in the NFL. He has appeared in 70 regular-season games and thrown 2,241 passes, and he is going to be 28 years old when the season begins. There are no secrets here. Everybody knows what he is: veteran mediocrity. Sure, there is a chance he could follow the path of Geno Smith and finally put things together and become an above-average starter after washing out with the New York Giants. But those types of success stories are the exception and not the rule. After six years and nearly 2,500 passes in the NFL you start to get a sense for what a quarterback is and what they can do.
Jones has shown everybody who and what he is as an NFL starting quarterback: not good enough.
What are the Colts hoping to accomplish here?
Maybe Jones is a marginal upgrade over Richardson right now. But is he enough of an upgrade to take them from a mid-level, average team to a playoff team or a contender? Not likely. Not in a stacked AFC.
Due to Richardson’s upside, if he can reach it, he might actually have the ability to do that.
That alone should have been the incentive to give him one more run at it.
If he washes out, then you might know for sure that he is not your answer and that you need to seriously look at the position again in 2026. The season might not go well, but it at least wouldn’t be a waste.
Right now, the Colts just seem to be hoping that Jones can get them to another eight- or nine-win season that keeps them squarely in the middle of the NFL standings. Nobody wants to see that. Nobody wants to watch that.
They should have at least given Richardson one more swing at it. Now they have pretty much already written him off as a potential option without ever really knowing for sure if he could do the job or reach his potential.
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