Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson could have three years left on his rookie deal. That is important in terms of how things could play out in Indy. The team has a somewhat new ownership group. Instead of Jim Irsay, his daughters are now running the team.
This also isn't a critique of Irsay's daughters, Carlie Irsay-Gordon, Casey Foyt, and Kalen Jackson. They almost certainly want to honor their father's love of the Colts and want the team to do well. But owners are also in the business of making money. The NFL is a money-making business.
Financially speaking, if the quarterback drama currently unfolding with the Colts ends up being close between Richardson and Daniel Jones, playing Richardson makes more sense. He has two years left on his initial rookie deal, but the team has a fifth-year option. Indu has to decide by next offseason whether to pick up that option.
Indianapolis Colts ownership might be favoring Anthony Richardson in quarterback battle
Jones is a completely different being, though. He has had a deal that needlessly paid him $40 million a season, so he has tasted exactly how much a quarterback (even one who hasn't produced all that well) could make. If he wins the QB1 spot with the Colts ahead of the season and then he does decently, he is going to want to get paid next offseason.
Daniel Jones is a free agent next offseason. His current one-year deal with Indy has a cap hit of almost $14.5 million. Meanwhile, Richardson's rookie contract pays him a bit over $9 million in 2025, and $10,816,282 in 2026. He is more affordable than Jones now and would be next year, too.
#Colts owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon describes the QB competition between Daniel Jones and Anthony Richardson as "the very expensive question."
— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) August 16, 2025
"Shane (Steichen) is going to have a tough decision to make, but I feel confident he's going to make the right decision."
During the Colts' preseason Week 2 loss to the Green Bay Packers, Irsay-Gordon was asked about the quarterback competition, and her answer might have given away how the team hopes it unfolds. She did say that head coach Shane Steichen has a tough decision (which should have been made before the preseason, honestly), but that maybe money matters.
Irsay-Gordon said the quarterback battle was a "very expensive question." Maybe she meant in terms of wins and losses, but more likely, she meant how much the Indianapolis Colts are going to pay their starting quarterback in the near future.
Having Anthony Richardson earn the starting spot and then playing well enough to keep Daniel Jones from replacing him is going to be financially beneficial to the team. Jones winning the job and then playing well is going to be a lot more expensive.
NFL owners want to make a lot of coin, and Jim Irsay's daughters are no different. Sure, they want the Colts to win (that would be fiscally beneficial, too), but keeping costs lower by having Anthony Richardson beyond 2025 instead of Daniel Jones would be a best-case scenario.