The Indianapolis Colts will now use their fourth quarterback since hiring Shane Steichen to become head coach of the franchise. Daniel Jones, who signed with Indy on a one-year, $14 million contract, will be the starting quarterback for the team and has also been named a captain.
Jones is using the Colts as the next step to revitalize his career after only playing in 10 games for the New York Giants last season before asking to be released from the franchise.
With the 2025-26 season now going on, an NFL analyst names the biggest issues for each team.
Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox names the former Giant as the team’s biggest problem heading into the 2025-26 season.
“Both in the fact that Jones is the team’s starting quarterback despite proving time and again in New York he doesn’t have what it takes to lead an offense, and the fact that third-year No. 4 overall pick Anthony Richardson still wasn’t good enough this summer to beat him out,” Knox wrote. “And while the line is good and the receiving corps has some decent young talent, none of it is enough to carry Jones or Richardson at this point.”
“The receiving corps still leaves something to be desired right now, and the line still lost veterans Will Fries and Ryan Kelly. It’s not a good recipe for season-opening home matchups with Miami and Denver, and you have to hang in those games to compete overall.”
Daniel Jones On Winning QB Battle
GettyIndianapolis Colts QB Daniel Jones
Going to be behind center in the season opener for the Indianapolis Colts, Daniel Jones is looking to help the team in any way he can.
“I came here to play, to be on the field, and to be with this group,” Jones said, via TSN. “I think it’s a strong group of players as I said, and a strong group of coaches. I think there’s a lot of things here to be excited about.”
Colts running back Jonathan Taylor believes that Jones can contribute to the Colts’ offense with his legs.
“He’s fast,” Taylor said, via the Colts website. “He’s hitting 21 miles an hour in practice. So especially for a quarterback, that’s unique…that was something that really caught my eye, for him to hit some of those speeds at practice.”
Anthony Richardson As Backup
Getty Indianapolis Colts‘ QB Anthony Richardson
Shane Steichen has said he doesn’t want to have a “quick leash” with Jones, signifying that he wants the former Blue Devil to be the QB as a long-term option for the season.
But suppose things go south with Daniel Jones (injury, performance, etc), Anthony Richardson will step up and want to make the best of what could be his last opportunity to prove that he is a starting quarterback in the National Football League.
“Man, you can’t let nobody come in your house and eat your food without permission,” Richardson said of Jones, via The Athletic. “That’s just the way I think about it. They brought him in to come do a job and take a job. … Ultimately, it’s like, ‘Yeah, I can’t let anybody come in here and take over what I’ve got going on.’”
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler said that Richardson’s camp met with the team’s general manager, Chris Ballard, to discuss the future of the former Florida Gator with the organization.
There was no clear mention of whether trading Richardson is a possibility, but having a quarterback who understands the offensive scheme is a big plus for the Colts.
Colts $14 Million QB Named Biggest Problem Before Week 1