We have all seen the obvious. The Indianapolis Colts chose quarterback Anthony Richardson fourth overall in the 2023 NFL draft in hopes he would become the next Josh Allen. The Florida product was big and fast with a cannon for an arm.
So far, however, he has lacked any positive elements that are needed along with the raw physical skills. He is an inaccurate passer, makes poor decisions about who to throw the ball to, and gets hurt a lot. The expectation is no longer that he could become a good professional quarterback, but that he will be a first-round bust.
The problem for the Colts is that Richardson's presumed backup, Daniel Jones, is getting a lot of hype, but he also hasn't lived up to his first-round profile. He was chosen sixth overall in 2019, spent six seasons with the New York Giants, and had a win-loss record of 24-44-1. New York eventually gave up on him.
Colts quarterback Daniel Jones predicted to get the bag in the 2026 offseason
But exactly how much hype about Jones, who has a decent chance of overtaking Richardson for QB1 duties in Indianapolis, is too much. FOX Sports NFL analyst Henry McKenna gives us Exhibit A. Not only does McKenna believe Jones will be the Colts' starter at QB, but that he will get paid a lot of money in 2026 because of it.
One of the questions about Daniel Jones is how he manages to keep falling up. Besides his win-loss record, which he can only control so much, he had a touchdown-to-interception ratio of a relatively dismal 46-35 after his rookie season. Being a rookie starter in the NFL is supposed to be tough, but 2019 is arguably Jones's best season in the league.
He also has a career quarterback rating of 84.3. Had that number been for a single season, it would have ranked 29th in the NFL last year.
Still, Henry McKenna believes Jones is going to start 12-15 games for Indianapolis this coming season and turn that into a contract that could pay him as much as $40 million a year. This is astonishing as Jones is a year older than the Seattle Seahawks' Sam Darnold, has not had a season like Darnold had in 2024, but Darnold's new deal only pays him $33.5 million a year.
Of course, if McKenna is correct, that might mean Daniel Jones has a terrific season for the Indianapolis Colts, which would mean the team exceeds expectations in 2025. Then, Indy has to ask themselves if they want to pay Jones a bunch of money or start over yet again.