Actions always speak louder than words. In picking Daniel Jones over Anthony Richardson as the full-season starter for 2025, the Colts have said it all.
Drafting Richardson was a mistake.
It’s OK. Pro football teams make mistakes, all the time. After making one, the best thing to do is to admit it and act accordingly. The worst thing to do is double down.
Of course, that doesn’t mean Richardson will be on the bench for the entire season. Jones has had injuries. Jones could be injured again. And Richardson will need to be ready to go, each and every week.
Panthers quarterback Bryce Young, the first pick in 2023, was ready to go in 2024. He was benched for Andy Dalton. Dalton got injured. Young was ready to go.
Still, to the extent that some will describe this as a wakeup call for Richardson, the phone rang last year. That’s when Richardson was benched for Flacco after tapping out of a game because Richardson was tired. Whatever spark that episode may have provided didn’t ignite the flame necessary to beat out Jones.
And, please, spare us the “sit and learn” nonsense. In order to reach his football ceiling, Richardson needs to play. He had only 13 starts in college. He’s had only 15 starts in the NFL. He needs to play.
He won’t be, unless and until Jones is injured. In theory, Richardson could respond by playing incredibly well, if/when he gets the chance.
For now, he’ll be relegated to waiting and to working, quietly and out of view. And the Colts have made a move aimed not at justifying their draft-day faith in Richardson but in winning enough football games to get to the playoffs.
That’s the likely reality for coach Shane Steichen, and perhaps for G.M. Chris Ballard. With Carlie Irsay-Gordon now calling the shots, it may require a postseason berth for either or both to return in 2026. The fact that Steichen and Ballard are more willing to tie their jobs to Jones and Richardson says it all.
