The biggest question surrounding the Indianapolis Colts right now is who the starting quarterback will be for the 2025 season. Previously, both Chris Ballard and Shane Steichen had said Anthony Richardson would continue at QB1 for at least another year, but later added that he would need to be open to the possibility of competition for the job. Then Daniel Jones was signed, and all bets were off.
Richardson struggled through the 2024 season, though he showed glimmers of immense potential, and as the youngest quarterback in the league, many believe he has the talent to pull through his issues and become the next face of the franchise. Jones is older than Richardson, but still young enough to have a good future in front of him. He doesn't seem to that the same talent ceiling that Richardson does, and after one breakout season in 2022, hasn't managed to recapture that same level of success - but he offers more reliability than Richardson does. And with him noncommittal about his future with the Minnesota Vikings, he jumped on the opportunity to join the Colts as a potential starter.
Deric Jackson, Richardson's agent, previously said that he was "ready to roll" in this quarterback competition, but ESPN's Jeremy Fowler offered some more insight on the Rich Eisen Show.
"I talked to somebody in Richardson's camp at the combine about this whole dynamic, and I brought up Daniel Jones and some of the things I was hearing. And he said, Anthony doesn't care if they bring in Joe Montana - like, he's going to go win that job. And I did - maybe that's just talk, but I did find it interesting," Fowler said.
Furthermore, Fowler said Richardson has two things working in his favor: the fact that his playing improved after being benched last year, and the amount of money he's being paid.
"I think, talking to some people there in Indy, they did feel like he was trending slightly up by the end of the year," Fowler continued. "He had regrouped a little bit, was playing a little better, but it's the inconsistent play with the durability where they're like, we have to get somebody and we have to spend a little bit of money. But they spent, what? $14 million with some upside. That tells you that the chances of him starting are not small. On a smaller scale, we saw it with the Raiders last year, and they gave Gardner Minshew like, $12 million, and he was competing with Aiden O'Connell. Some people in the building liked O'Connell better, but Minshew had been a financial commitment to them. So they went with him. So sometimes you see that happening. The money usually talks."
He added that the Colts have not ignored the reality of how talented Anthony Richardson is.
"Yeah, Richardson would probably have a hard time beating Joe Montana right now," Fowler laughed, "but what's funny is he's more talented, and he's one of the most talented guys in the league. I mean, he's got incredible ability, so they're not discounting that in Indy either."
There's never been any denying just how talented Richardson is; he has elite level athleticism that few in the league can match, but as Fowler said, the issue is reliability and durability. Richardson has to prove that he can be consistent, and stay healthy. If he's able to do that in 2025, the Colts could find themselves, after six years and 13 quarterbacks, with a franchise QB.