Indianapolis Colts quarterbacks Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones will split first-team reps this offseason, Colts coach Shane Steichen said Monday at the annual league meetings at The Breakers resort.
This further cements the open QB competition GM Chris Ballard previously announced at the NFL Scouting Combine. Steichen added that he’ll have the final say on who starts, but he doesn’t have a definitive timeline for when he’ll make that decision.
“It’ll start in the spring. They’re gonna split the (starting) reps through spring practice and going into training camp,” Steichen said. “Really, it’s gonna come down to who’s the most consistent and who’s the most productive. (He) will be the starter.”
Ballard echoed his coach’s stance and reiterated that Richardson will remain a vital part of the team, regardless of whether he’s a starter or backup in 2025. Since Richardson was the 2023 No. 4 pick, as a first-round selection, the Colts will have to decide if they want to pick up the fifth-year option on his rookie contract after the 2025 campaign, which will put more pressure on the team to decide if he’s a part of its long-term future. However, Ballard downplayed that timeline Monday.
“Whatever the outcome (of this competition) is for Anthony, does it mean it’s the end? No, it doesn’t. I’ve said that all along,” Ballard said. “It doesn’t mean we’re quitting on him, either. Everybody’s developmental timeline is a little different.”
Ballard trusts the character of Richardson and Jones to remain high, he said, even when one of them inevitably doesn’t win the starting job. He’s confident their head-to-head competition won’t break their bond as teammates.
“I think people create a hate image whenever there’s a pure competition, and that’s not (the case),” Ballard said. “When you’re wearing the same emblem on the helmet, it’s about the team. … They don’t have to be best friends, but when they’re in that room every day, there has to be a mutual respect of how you handle business.”
The Colts’ QB competition will officially begin April 21 during OTAs. Richardson, the 2023 No. 4 pick, is gearing up for what will likely be a make-or-break Year 3 in Indianapolis. He’s missed 17 games due to injury through his first two seasons, and he was benched for two games last season due to what Steichen labeled as a lack of game preparation. The 22-year-old finished his second year with eight passing TDs against 12 interceptions, plus six rushing touchdowns against three lost fumbles. He went 6-5 in 11 starts.
Meanwhile, Jones, the 2019 No. 6 overall pick, joined the Colts on a one-year, $14 million deal as he looks to revitalize his career following his release by the Giants last season. The 27-year-old went 24-44-1 in 69 regular-season starts across six years in New York. He led the Giants to the postseason in 2022 and won a playoff game, but he was 3-13 over his last two years with 10 TD passes against 13 interceptions, plus three rushing touchdowns against three lost fumbles during that span.
“He can run the ball with the zone read game. Obviously, he can throw the football, as well. His career completion rate is 64%, which is pretty good,” Steichen said as he explained the team’s decision to bring in Jones. “(He) has had some production, won a playoff game, high football IQ — really high football IQ — which is really good. … It’ll be a good competition between (him and Richardson).”
Richardson has started just 15 games through his first two years in the NFL after starting only 13 at Florida. Asked how splitting the starting reps with Jones this offseason could help or hurt Richardson’s development — when the Colts brass has previously stated he needs more reps to reach his potential — Steichen doubled down on the team’s plan to evaluate each passer.
“I think that’s part of the process right now that we’re going through, the competition,” Steichen said. “(Richardson’s) gonna have to take advantage of the reps that he gets. It’s a competition, and competition makes everyone better.”
Steichen said he still believes in Richardson, but the franchise is seeking stability at quarterback, which it hasn’t really had since drafting Andrew Luck first in 2012. Since Luck abruptly retired ahead of the 2019 campaign, Indianapolis has started 10 quarterbacks over the past six years.
“The talent’s there. There’s no question about it,” Steichen said of Richardson. “The plays that he’s made on the football field are impressive. We’re just looking for that consistency on a daily basis.”
