It was confirmed that the Minnesota Vikings quarterback Daniel Jones signed a one-year contract with the Indianapolis Colts. Chris Ballard mentioned that a quarterback competition would be coming and the Colts have brought that to Anthony Richardson in Daniel Jones. At the close of the 2024 season, the Colts had more questions than answers regarding their quarterback. Richardson came off a disappointing season in which he suffered injuries again and displayed immaturity. This all came to prominence when he got benched midway through the season.

Needless to say, Anthony Richardson is not the sure-fire starter for 2025, and bringing Daniel Jones in could shake things up. Jones could be exactly what Richardson needs to be pushed into greatness. Jones could also be exactly what the franchise needs if Richardson is ultimately a bust. However, Jones could also see the franchise back if his play is that of a career backup. Regardless, the Colts have an interesting situation on their hands and need to be careful with how they approach this. By all accounts, Jones is going to compete for the starting job against Richardson which could ultimately shape the future of the Colts.

The Impact that Daniel Jones Can Have With the Indianapolis Colts

The Impact on Anthony Richardson

The direct impact that a Daniel Jones signing will have with the Colts is his impact on Anthony Richardson. As mentioned, Richardson had a disappointing 2024 season after a promising rookie 2023 season. With Chris Ballard’s career, potentially, on the line, the stakes were high going into 2025. Richardson is in a make-or-break year and the Colts do not have much room for patience with him. If he is going to finally perform like a first-round draft pick, year three needs to be it. Bringing in a guy like Daniel Jones, who has faced adversity in his career, and has had success and failure, could be very beneficial to Richardson.

The Impact on the Franchise

The Colts cannot afford to continue on the quarterback carousel. Since 2019, they have been trying to find a long-term quarterback who can be the face of the franchise. In these past six seasons, the Colts have brought in three veteran quarterbacks before finally drafting Anthony Richardson in 2023. While all roads lead to Richardson being the inevitable starter in 2025, the verdict is still out on whether he can live up to those expectations. However, by bringing in a playmaker like Daniel Jones, the Colts are not setting themselves up for long-term success. Jones certainly has talent and could very well shock the world in 2025. However, in all likelihood, Jones is a career backup now and can win games here and there. Therefore, Jones is not an answer at quarterback if Richardson is a bust. The Colts would have to continue the carousel ride.