Daniel Jones Beats Out Anthony Richardson in Colts QB Derby Which Means Colts Facing Mediocrity

Daniel Jones has resuscitated his career as an NFL starting quarterback. And Anthony Richardson is on the path to being an NFL draft bust.

That's the blunt summary of what happened Tuesday when the Indianapolis Colts selected their starting quarterback for the 2025 regular season.

Colts Pick Jones After Much Consideration

Head coach Shane Steichen, in consultation with his staff, general manager Chris Ballard, and even ownership, picked Jones to start the regular-season opener against the Miami Dolphins on Sept. 7 and beyond.

"He's the starting QB for the season," Steichen told reporters. "I don't want to have a short leash on that."

Yeah, whatever. Steichen has said similar before and waffled so there can be no guarantee Jones will play the entire season if he performs poorly.

But, despite that, this is stunning news.

Indianapolis Colts quarterbacks Anthony Richardson Sr. (5), Daniel Jones (17) and Riley Leonard (15) prepare for drills Monday, July 28, 2025, during training camp held at Grand Park in Westfield.

Is Daniel Jones Good?

That's because Jones is, well, Jones. He was cast off from the New York Giants last year – ultimately quitting on them -- after a couple of disappointing seasons and ended up sitting on the bench in Minnesota. He signed a one-year contract with the Colts in the offseason to give Richardson some competition.

Well, Jones apparently won the freaking competition!

But here's the problem: He may be the best quarterback on the Colts roster right now, but his history shows he's a middling quarterback. How else to put it given he threw 10 TD passes and 13 interceptions combined in 2023 and 2024?

There are reasons he was a free agent in the offseason and Colts fans seem to recognize that because they generally are hating this decision on social media. And why?

Because it seemingly gives the club a Daniel Jones-type ceiling for this season – perhaps eight or nine wins.

Yes, they should have traded for Kirk Cousins.

Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen speaks with General Manager Chris Ballard before the first day of training camp practice Wednesday, July 26, 2023, at Grand Park Sports Complex in Westfield, Indiana.

What This Means For Anthony Richardson

Does this, on the other hand, signal the end of Richardson's NFL career? No.

But it does scream that his career in Indianapolis has gone sideways. 

Steichen said Richardson handled the decision to sit him "great." Richardson admitted he's got room for growth in multiple issues of consistency, the coach said.

"You got to respect the decision," Richardson said, surrounded by reporters at his locker stall. "….You got to respect it and keep working. It doesn't say I haven't improved …"

But does this show the Colts are showing patience with the player they drafted with the No. 4 pick in the 2024 draft? Nope.

Does this strongly suggest Steichen and Ballard are making the move at quarterback that is more aligned with saving their own jobs? Yup.

So Richardson, supposedly one play away from starting, is far removed from being the team's franchise quarterback – which is what he was drafted to become.

Anthony Richardson Needs To Grow

Despite Tuesday's news, it would be wrong to dismiss Richardson rallying at some future date, perhaps elsewhere. He turned 23 three months ago. He's younger than some quarterbacks picked in the 2025 NFL draft, including Dillon Gabriel, Tyler Shough, Will Howard and Shedeur Sanders.

He's younger than multiple guys picked in the 2024 first round, including Caleb Williams and Bo Nix.

So the kid has time to develop.

The question is whether that can happen in Indy? His time with the club has been a mixed bag of injuries, encouraging moments that come all too inconsistently, and a benching last season.

Now he's benched again behind Jones. So the Colts are obviously done nurturing and developing him while he plays. That is over. 

Now he sits and plays only if something goes wrong with Jones – either via inadequate performance or injury.

The Colts seem to have picked the lesser of two bad options. It's not good.