The Indianapolis Colts are humming at 8-2 and in first place in the AFC South by two games, and currently hold the No. 1 seed in the AFC. A lot of season is left, however, and the seeding bit could change a lot. Or maybe, not at all.
A huge reason for Indy's success was how the team handled a potential landmine of a quarterback situation. 2023 first-round draft pick Anthony Richardson could have simply been handed the QB1 spot because he had been part of Shane Steichen's system the previous two seasons. Instead, the Colts made a bolder move.
The team chose Daniel Jones to be its starter, even though Danny Dollars had flamed out with the terrible New York Giants and didn't make much of an impression in his two-month stint with the Minnesota Vikings at the end of last year. Through 10 games in 2025, however, Jones has been terrific for Indianapolis.
The Indianapolis Colts handled their quarterback drama perfectly
Richardson's future is obviously murky. The team has a fifth-year option on the quarterback for 2027, and that decision has to be made next offseason. It probably has already been made: Richardson will be a free agent after 2026.
Or, according to one NFL analyst, AR5 could be part of a completely different scenario sooner than that. He could be with a different team by next season.
Billy Heyen of the Sporting News has put forth an idea, based on ESPN's Bill Barnwell's recent article about possible future quarterback scenarios, where Richardson is potentially dealt to the Carolina Panthers, where Richardson would then be in a new quarterback battle with another trending draft bust from 2023: Bryce Young.
The thinking is that, like Richardson with Indianapolis, Young has no right to be the starter for Carolina simply because he was a high draft choice. In three seasons for the Panthers, Young has started 37 games, has a record of a dismal 11-26, an atrocious quarterback rating of 77.8, and a touchdown-to-interception ratio of just 37-26.
Could Richardson be better? Based on what he has shown in Indianapolis, no way. But maybe a change of scenery would help him. If he can stay healthy, he could possibly be decent.
The good part for Indianapolis Colts fans, though, is that none of that truly matters. The team has found its new long-term quarterback in Daniel Jones, and that should equate to long-term success, whether Anthony Richardson stays in Indy or not.