The Indianapolis Colts opened up the 2024 season against the Houston Texans and quarterback Anthony Richardson made waves on one of the very first drives of the year.
He connected with Alec Pierce on a 60-yard nuke that made fans giddy with joy, but that’s about where the love affair with Richardson ended.
The former No. 4 overall pick completed just six passes for the rest of the game and as the season progressed, he arguably got worse.
Midway through the season, Richardson was benched after he tapped out of a game because he was “tired,” and the writing was on the wall that his days in Indianapolis may be numbered.
The team brought in a veteran quarterback in Daniel Jones to compete for the starting job. Even if he doesn’t beat out the incumbent, the Colts are hoping the competition lights a fire under their young signal caller.
But with the former Giants quarterback playing a similar style of football as Richardson, people around the league expect that he’s already the favorite to win the job.
According to Mike Sando of The Athletic, an offensive coach from another team told him that Jones is a perfect fit with head coach Shane Steichen.
He went on to cite the two quarterbacks’ similarities and the fact that Indianapolis is a much smaller market than New York.
Jones struggled for most of his tenure with the Giants but was able to capture lightning in a bottle in 2022 by taking the team to the playoffs and even winning a game.
Though he hasn’t had much success outside of that, it’s more than what the Colts are asking for, which is the bare minimum.
Richardson is one of the most talent quarterbacks in the entire NFL, but he’s been largely unable to harness it up to this point.
The Colts aren’t giving up on him yet, but if he’s unable to win the starting job during training camp, his time in Indianapolis could be over.
-1743976135-q80.webp "Steelers Scout Shilo Sanders at Colorado's Pro Day: Could He Be Pittsburgh's Draft Surprise?")