If we are to take Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen at his word, Daniel Jones will be the starting quarterback not just in Week 1, but for the entire season. Of course, the coach can't truly be held to that if Jones plays poorly early on. Maybe, for once, Jones will be very good.
If he isn't, though, there is no proof that current backup Anthony Richardson will be either. Heck, Richardson lost the quarterback battle in training camp and the preseason to Danny Dimes, so clearly the Colts believe Jones is better. In other words, neither QB could be the long-term answer.
If they aren't, ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. thinks he knows a few quarterbacks who Indy might take a chance on in the 2026 NFL draft. (If the Colts aren't great, there could be a good chance that Steichen and general manager Chris Ballard are not the ones making the decisions next year.) One player might just need to move an hour north to play in the NFL.
ESPN's Mel Kiper names eight quarterbacks who could be the Indianapolis Colts QB1 soon
Kiper feels there are at least eight quarterbacks who could be taken in the first round next year. Indiana's Fernando Mendoza is one. The Cal transfer is 6'5" and 225 pounds, and let's be honest: He wasn't exactly great in his first start for Indiana against little-respected Old Dominion.
He was 18 of 31 for 193 yards with no touchdowns in an underwhelming 27-14 win. A lot of season is left to play, and Mendoza has the arm talent to play at the next level, but he shouldn't get Colts fans too excited about potentially replacing Daniel Jones (or Anthony Richardson) just yet.
The other quarterbacks currently on Kiper's list include LaNorris Sellers of South Carolina, Drew Allar of Penn State, Cade Klubnik of Clemson, Garrett Nussmeier of LSU, Sam Leavitt of Arizona State, Arch Manning of Texas, and Nico Iamaleava of UCLA.
Manning was terrible in his first start of the season against a great Ohio State defense. Iamaleava could be a concern for any team that drafts him because he left the University of Tennessee because he wanted more money (and this is at the college level). Klubnik is just meh.
That leaves Sellers, Allar, and Nussmeier. The problem with all of those players is that they are unlikely to be around when the Indianapolis Colts make their first choice in the 2026 draft. Even if Daniel Jones and Anthony Richardson don't play well, the rest of the Indy roster is pretty good.
Indianapolis could be choosing in the mid-teens, and might have to try to trade up if they have a quarterback they truly want. The best-case scenario is that Daniel Jones is simply good this season, and the Indianapolis Colts' main worry is how much it will take to extend him.