There were a few so-called QB battles around the league this offseason, but the only real one turned out to be in Indianapolis between Colts QBs Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones.
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Richardson, the team’s 2023 No. 4 overall pick, has yet to reach his potential, while Jones is another former high draft pick trying to resurrect his career after six rough years in the Big Apple. On Tuesday, all the speculation ended when Jones was named the starter for the team’s Week 1 matchup against the Miami Dolphins on September 7.
As a top-four pick, losing your starting job is tough enough. But losing it to Danny Dimes? That can really sap a young player’s confidence. ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith believes this decision is a very bad sign for the future of Richardson’s NFL career.
“Anthony Richardson’s football career is in jeopardy … Daniel Jones being the starting quarterback for the Colts for Week 1. Boy, does that show a lack of faith in Richardson, who they spent a top four pick on. It’s bad for him,” Stephen A. said on First Take.
“Because there’s nobody out here that believes that Daniel Jones is a worthy starter for your franchise… His career with the New York Giants is 24-44-1 record as a starter … speaks for itself. We’ve seen more blooper reels from Daniel Jones than highlights,” the analyst added.
.@stephenasmith reacts to Daniel Jones being named the starting QB for the Colts:
"Anthony Richardson's football career is in jeopardy. … Boy, does that show a lack of faith in Richardson who they spent a top-four pick on." pic.twitter.com/cjkWXFsoUT
— First Take (@FirstTake) August 19, 2025
Colts head coach Shane Steichen, who was one of the strongest voices pushing to draft Richardson a couple of years ago, spoke about what he likes in Daniel Jones’ play and presence both on the field and in the locker room.
“I think the guys have taken to him. He’s a great communicator with the guys. You can see that veteran presence out there. So, I’m excited for that,” he said.
Perhaps the most notable part of Steichen’s comments at the podium (via ESPN’s Stephen Holder) was that his decision to start Jones wasn’t just for Week 1. He intends to start him for the entirety of the 2025 season, provided Jones doesn’t play himself out of the role.
“He’s our starting quarterback for the season. I don’t want to have a quick leash on that. I feel confident in his abilities.”
Nonetheless, Steichen isn’t calling it quits on Richardson either. The youngster had little college experience, so he was always going to be a project, and a long-term one at that. Steichen believes that slotting Richardson in as the clear backup will provide the right environment for him to truly learn and develop as an NFL player.
“He’s still learning, still growing. And for the first time in his career, this is an opportunity for him to sit at the start of a season and learning in a different light and attack it the right way.”
However, the Colts will need to decide what they have in Richardson very soon. He has a 2027 fifth-year option that they’ll have to pick up (or decline) by next year. And having Jones start all 17 games might make properly evaluating Richardson a little more difficult. It’s also not as if Jones is the veteran QB you’d ideally want your franchise guy learning from.
If we had to guess, Jones will start the lion’s share of games this year, but poor play or an injury could open the door for Richardson to step in for a spot start or two.
