The Indianapolis Colts continue to be in quarterback purgatory, and it doesn't appear that the situation is going to improve anytime soon. The 2025 season will see Daniel Jones as the Colts' starting quarterback with Anthony Richardson as the backup, which isn't an ideal situation to be in.
This is a big blow to the Colts because Richardson was the team's fourth overall pick just two years ago, and he couldn't even beat out Jones for the starting job. If Jones were a more seasoned vet like Kirk Cousins or Jimmy Garoppolo, maybe then picking them to start over Richardson would make sense, but Jones?
It's not a good look for Richardson at all and shows how the Colts feel about his development.
Alex Smith’s blunt quarterback comment feels painfully true for the Colts
The Colts have been floundering at the quarterback position since Andrew Luck abruptly retired before the 2019 season, and the end doesn't appear to be in sight. It's hard to find a franchise quarterback and former number one overall pick, and 16-year quarterback Alex Smith said as much recently while speaking with Zak Keefer of The Athletic.
“Teams would give anything to get the right guy,” says Alex Smith, the 2005 No. 1 pick. “The problem is, some of them don’t have a clue what they’re doing.”
If you told Colts fans that Smith was talking about them, they'd probably believe it. It truly doesn't feel like the Colts know what they're doing at quarterback, and it's felt that way for a long time. For a franchise that had all of the quarterback luck in the world by getting to draft Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck to be their franchise guys, it's been the complete opposite ever since.
The Colts have had 11 different guys start at quarterback since Luck abruptly retired, and Chris Ballard was clearly hoping that Richardson would finally give them stability at the position. Well, Richardson was a controversial prospect due to being a one-year wonder at Florida, but Ballard still took a chance on him, and here we are.
When the dust has settled from the 2025 season, the Colts will likely be searching for yet another guy to take over at quarterback, and hopefully, whoever the next one through the door is ends up being the answer.