Anthony Richardson’s first three pro seasons have not gone as he or the Colts would have planned.
But it sounds like Richardson, the No. 4 overall pick of the 2023 draft, should be ready for the start of the offseason program in April after missing most of 2025 due to an orbital fracture from a freak pregame accident.
“He’s getting better,” General Manager Chris Ballard said during his scouting combine press conference on Tuesday. “I know he met with another specialist. He’s getting better. He’s been cleared to play football.
“I’m proud of him. I’m proud of Anthony, man. I mean, here’s a guy that’s had to deal with a lot of injury stuff that happens. Unfortunate accident with his eye. He doesn’t win the job, Daniel [Jones] wins the job. I think the one thing that I don’t know everybody appreciates about Anthony — I do and I know some of his teammates do — he’s a really good teammate. Positive, wants to do the right things. So, it’s trending in the right direction. Still got a ways to go, but he’s cleared to play. And the eye’s getting better. So, we’ll just work from there.”
Richardson briefly appeared in two games in 2025, playing just 14 offensive snaps.
While the Colts seem highly likely to decline Richardson’s fifth-year option this spring, Ballard maintains Richardson could still have a future with Indianapolis.
“I see a future, yeah. I’m not going to — kind of like with any player, you never know what’s going to happen. And things change,” Ballard said. “But, yeah. We like Anthony.”
The Colts have two key offensive pending free agents who they’d like to retain going forward: quarterback Daniel Jones and receiver Alec Pierce.
General Manager Chris Ballard said at his scouting combine press conference that Indianapolis would prefer not to use the franchise tag for either player. But it’s an option if things don’t work out before both players hit the open market at the start of the new league year next month.
“It’s not what we want to do,” Ballard said. “It’s a tool we have. It’s not what we want to do, though.”
That’s part of why this week at the scouting combine is so critical, as agents come to town and start figuring out what the market will be for those pending free agents.
Ballard characterized discussions with both Jones and Pierce’s representation as “very positive.”
“We’ll continue to work this week and see if we can get something done,” Ballard said. “Look, when both sides are driven to get it done, it usually works out in the right way. I know four or five days doesn’t seem like a long time, but it can be in these situations.”
Jones stabilized the QB position for the Colts after years of inconsistent play at that spot, completing 68 percent of his passes for 3,101 yards with 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions before suffering a torn Achilles
Pierce, a second-round pick in 2022, has led the league in yards per reception over each of the past two seasons. He finished 2025 with a career-high 1,003 receiving yards and 47 receptions with six touchdowns.
The Colts have until March 3 at 4 p.m. ET to determine whether or not they’ll use the franchise or transition tag this offseason.
The Colts made a great move at quarterback last year, getting quarterback Daniel Jones on a one-year, $14 million deal. Now, they have a big decision to make.
Re-sign Jones, risk letting him become a free agent, or use the franchise tag?
The challenge when it comes to using the franchise tag is obvious. It’s not cheap. The projected 2026 franchise tag for the quarterback position is $47.3 million.
That’s a massive commitment, especially in light of Jones’s current health. He’s recovering from a torn Achilles tendon, with no guarantee that he’ll be 100 percent when the season starts.
On the other hand, they risk losing him to another team that would pay more than whatever the Colts might offer. And the Vikings, in theory, could be lurking.
Last year, the Vikings wanted to pair Jones with J.J. McCarthy. Jones believed that coach Kevin O’Connell would work his usual magic with McCarthy, making it unlikely Jones would play. In Indy, Jones received a full and fair chance to win the job from Anthony Richardson — and Jones did.
This time around, Jones may believe he has a chance to play in Minnesota.
The Vikings developed a high opinion of Jones during their limited time with him in 2024. Their opinion of him was sufficiently high that some believed Jones had a chance to leapfrog Sam Darnold during the playoffs, if the Vikings had managed to win the wild-card game against the Rams.
Regardless, Jones remains under contract with the Colts. They have a week to decide whether to tag him.
The transition tag is also available. It would cost $40 million for 2026, giving them only the right to match an offer sheet.
It all comes down to Jones’s true market. Would someone offer him $40 million per year? But for the Achilles injury, maybe.
That said, the Falcons gave Kirk Cousins $45 million per year in 2024, while he was recovering from the same injury. And the market, as Tua Tagovailoa once said, is the market.
The Colts need to figure out what the market for Jones may be, before deciding whether to apply the franchise tag.
The Colts have announced their coaching staff for the 2026 season.
Head coach Shane Steichen will have five new faces on that staff. The most significant addition is defensive line coach Marion Hobby. Hobby spent last season as a defensive analyst at his alma mater Tennessee and the former NFL defensive lineman has also been a position coach for the Bengals, Dolphins, Jaguars and Saints.
Strength and conditioning assistant Tyrell Brown, defensive quality control coach Jeremy Bruce, defensive quality control coach Dillon Doyle, and game management coordinator Aditya Krishnan are the other new hires. Performance science analyst Mikey Blazejowski, assistant defensive line coach Kalon Humphries, offensive quality control coach Diego Ortiz, and offensive quality control coach Brent Stockstill have new titles.
Defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter, special teams coordinator Brian Mason, linebackers coach James Bettcher, Harriet P. Irsay fellow Isabel Diaz, strength and conditioning assistant Zane Fakes, senior assistant special teams coach Joe Hastings, defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson, pass game coordinator/secondary coach Chris Hewitt, senior strength and conditioning coach Richard Howell, assistant to the head coach TJ Ingels, assistant linebackers coach Cato June, strength and conditioning assistant/performance therapist Sam Khym, tight ends coach Tom Manning, director of sports performance Mike Minnis, running backs coach DeAndre Smith, offensive line coach Tony Sparano Jr., passing game coordinator Alex Tanney, quarterbacks coach Cam Turner, assistant offensive line coach Mike Watt, and wide receivers coach Reggie Wayne return from the 2025 season.
Every year, the coaching carousel spins first. Then, the quarterback carousel whirls.
It’s coming soon. Veteran quarterbacks will be cut, traded, signed. Teams will reshuffle their depth charts with changes at the most important position on the team.
In a recent item about the potential contract prospects of Packers (for now) backup Malik Willis, some of the veteran options were listed. Here’s a look at the various teams that will have decisions to make regarding veteran quarterbacks currently on the roster, or to be added once the new league year begins.
Dolphins: They have a decision to make about Tua Tagovailoa. The Dolphins owe him $54 million in 2026. The two-year (or one-year, if they choose to rip the Band-Aid in one motion) dead-cap charge for cutting Tua would be $99.2 million. They need to decide what to do with Tua, and whether to add a veteran — like Willis. They’d surely love to find a way to trade Tua, even if it means selling some of the cap charge to another team by attaching a draft pick to Tua’s contract. And since they owe him every penny of his 2026 pay, they could choose to keep him around. (That would fully guarantee another $3 million for 2027, however.)
Jets: Justin Fields likely will be cut. Half of his $20 million salary for 2026 is fully guaranteed. They’ll likely be looking for a veteran, possibly on a short-term basis, to run new coordinator Frank Reich’s offense.
Steelers: They’re willing to wait for Aaron Rodgers, which would take them out of play for a veteran in the early days of free agency. Willis or Cousins could be intriguing options, if they find out before March 11 that Rodgers won’t be returning.
Browns: Who knows what they’ll do? Deshaun Watson is under contract for another year, at $46 million. Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel are, too. Will the new half-regime led by coach Todd Monken want a veteran from the outside?
Ravens: In the unlikely event the Ravens trade Lamar Jackson, they’d need a new quarterback — presumably one with starting experience.
Colts: Daniel Jones, who is recovering from a torn Achilles, likely will be back. Anthony Richardson has one year left on his rookie deal; he’s under contract for 2026 at guaranteed pay of $5.385 million. If Jones leaves, the Colts would need another veteran.
Raiders: They owe Geno Smith $18.5 million for 2026. Another $8 million becomes fully guaranteed on March 13. Would someone trade for him at $26.5 million? He could be cut. The Raiders also could keep him as the bridge to Fernando Mendoza, if they make him the first overall pick.
Vikings: They want a veteran who’ll compete with J.J. McCarthy. That could make it harder to attract a veteran who’ll want a commitment that he’ll be QB1. Based on McCarthy’s performance and durability in 2025, however, most veteran quarterbacks with reasonable confidence would believe they can win a fair and square competition. If they believe the competition will be both fair and square.
Falcons: They haven’t committed to Michael Penix Jr. being the Week 1 starter, and for good reason. Penix is recovering from his latest ACL tear. Cousins could, in theory, return after being released. That seems unlikely. Another veteran is possible for the new-look football operation led by Matt Ryan, Ian Cunningham, and Kevin Stefanski.
Cardinals: The moment Kyler Murray was placed on injured reserve with a foot injury that was supposedly healing, the message was clear — it’s over for Murray in Arizona. The Cardinals owe him $36.8 million for 2026, with another $22.55 million in 2026 pay and 2027 salary hitting the books early in the 2026 league year. If not traded, he’ll be cut. Willis could be an option for the Cardinals. Rodgers potentially could be a target, too.
With the Scouting Combine beginning soon, the carousel will start moving. Coaches and General Managers who take the podium on Tuesday or Wednesday will be asked pointed questions. Agents will meet with teams.
