Colts' Daniel Jones Among Most Overpaid in NFL History

The Indianapolis Colts were hoping when they selected Anthony Richardson fourth overall in the 2023 NFL draft that he'd improve with playing time and live action on the gridiron. However, it turned incredibly sour when he suffered an AC joint sprain that derailed his rookie season.

It only got worse once he returned to the field for the 2024 season, where he dropped off considerably for his sophomore campaign. Richardson was a disaster as a passer, falling to a completion percentage of 47.7, throwing 12 picks to eight touchdowns, and coughing up a whopping nine fumbles.

Now, the pressure is on like never before for Richardson to improve, while Shane Steichen's coaching seat heats up in unison.

Enter former New York Giants franchise quarterback hopeful Daniel Jones, who was signed to ensure Richardson is pushed as a starter.

The Colts paid Jones on just a one-year deal, but it was expensive, worth $14 million plus incentives. Overall, Jones has made too much money for a quarterback with a brutally bad career record (24-44-1), and according to Bleacher Report, he's one of the most overpaid players ever. He's among two other former Colts quarterbacks considered overpaid in Joe Flacco (12th) and Carson Wentz (11th).

Jones gets the sixth spot out of 12, and the breakdown from Bleacher Report's Brad Gagnon is a fair one on Jones' $114.3 million earned over six seasons to date (81st of all time).

"Still 28, Jones will add to that total by about $14 million in 2025 despite the fact that he has thrown 25 touchdown passes zero times in six seasons and has never been a consistently reliable quarterback."

Jones wasn't necessarily given much in the Meadowlands as far as talent to surround him, and this came especially in the form of a lackluster offensive line that did the former sixth overall selection no favors. In 70 games, Jones suffered 208 sacks, bad enough for nearly three per game.

It doesn't matter who is under center; it could be Patrick Mahomes, but it would remain trivial for the quarterback to operate under that sort of pressure. While Jones doesn't make the bottom of Mahome's cleats, he's still not the worst field general and wasn't helped by the Giants.

If somehow Jones can beat out Richardson for the starting role in Indianapolis, perhaps there's a long shot at him hitting a stride for the first time in his career, which would be a surprising development given Indy's investment in Richardson.

However, bringing in Jones shows the dedication that the Colts have to their quarterback investment from two years ago. Competition brings out the best in everyone, as was proven by Alec Pierce's career season once the Colts drafted Adonai Mitchell in round two last year to push the vertical threat into his best.

Can the same happen for Richardson with Jones? It's possible, but that's the hope for Chris Ballard since the team handed out such an expensive, albeit short, contract.