As the Indianapolis Colts prepare for the upcoming season, only a few final things need to be done. The most notable was finalizing the 53-man roster, as well as the practice squad. There weren't too many surprises on that front, as the biggest roster news had already been decided; in the Colts quarterback battle, Daniel Jones ended up victorious over Anthony Richardson.
What's next? Naming team captains. It's something that head coach Shane Steichen reportedly takes very seriously; his first year with the team, he had Colts legend Peyton Manning give the team a talk about the importance of leadership and what it means to be a captain, while last year, Reggie Wayne did. This year, Steichen himself gave the talk before the vote.
The role of NFL team captains is to be a leader and representative on and off the field, keep team morale high, and serve as a link between coaches and the players. Last year, the Colts had eight captains, and this year, that number has been cut down to just five. Every one of the captains that made the list was captain last year, save one - though his inclusion isn't too much of a surprise.
Daniel Jones gets named team captain for the Indianapolis Colts
our 2025 captains ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/Q7PiUDTHCx
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) August 28, 2025
The five team captains are:
- DeForest Buckner
- Zaire Franklin
- Kenny Moore II
- Quenton Nelson
- Daniel Jones
The veterans on this list were all captains last year as well, so their inclusion isn't too surprising. Captains from last year's season who didn't make the cut this year are Anthony Richardson, Michael Pittman Jr., and Jonathan Taylor. (Ryan Kelly was also a captain, but he is now signed with the Minnesota Vikings.)
While the decision to make Jones QB1 over Richardson may or may not be controversial, his leadership abilities seem to be well-known and established. He was a captain for every one of the seven years he played with the New York Giants, and Buckner had previously given Jones high praise for his ability to work with the team.
"He's always the same," he said. "He goes up to the line of scrimmage the same guy – calm, cool, collected. He does a really good job with communicating with the rest of the offense and really making the right checks and stuff at the line of scrimmage. So, he's been a great competitor.”
The other captains have likewise proven to be stalwarts on the team, particularly Buckner and Franklin. Franklin returned to the team earlier this month after a long surgical recovery period in the offseason and will resume his role as the "green dot" for the defense this season.