Riley

Leonard

It’s a positive sign for Jones four months removed from his Achilles tear, and it’s in line with general manager Chris Ballard’s April 20 assessment that Jones is “progressing really well” in his offseason recovery. Signing a massive contract extension with the Colts, Jones will be the team’s starter in 2026. Whether he misses a couple early season games depends on the speed of his recovery from the Achilles injury. With Anthony Richardson unlikely to be back with the team, Riley Leonard could function as Indy’s No. 2 quarterback behind Jones. Jones ranked sixth in drop back EPA before tearing his Achilles.

The rookie didn’t look overmatched against the Week 18 kinda-sorta-trying Texans or the Jaguars in relief of Jones in Week 14 before the Philip Rivers Experiment happened. He finished the year with 415 passing yards on 67 attempts, along with two touchdowns and three interceptions — one of which was a Hail Mary in Week 17 that he threw because Rivers couldn’t get the ball downfield. We’re not trying to sell Leonard as a dynasty asset or anything, but Shane Steichen is a good offensive coach and he could be a viable QB2 superflex streamer depending on how the schedule falls if Jones isn’t quite ready.

Richardson, a former first-round draft pick who has flamed out in three seasons with Indy, has been linked to other teams this offseason, including the Packers, who lost backup QB Malik Willis to the Dolphins in free agency. Ballard on Monday said there’s still a chance Richardson stays with the Colts in 2026. “There’s definitely a scenario there. He’s a good dude and he’s talented. I mean, I still want good for Anthony, man,” Ballard said. “I still think he’s got a lot in him. He’s had some freaking bad luck, but I still think Anthony has got a lot of ability and he’s maturing and growing. He’s still young.” The most inaccurate passer in the NFL since entering the league in 2023, Richardson, 23, has struggled with various injuries, including a severe eye injury suffered in a freak training accident last season. ESPN’s Stephen Holder said Richardson could be seen as expendable since Riley Leonard is “now seen as a viable No. 2 quarterback” following his late-season performance in 2025.

He also notes that Chris Ballard “openly theorized about [Riley] Leonard being the team’s backup in 2026" while saying that he believes both Richardson and the team could benefit from a divorce. We doubt that Richardson would bring back much draft capital at this point, but every bit of it might matter for a team that dealt two first-round picks for Sauce Gardner. Richardson could be a low-cost or rehab option for teams this offseason in what looks to be a pretty barren quarterback market.

Leonard showed something with his legs for sure, and was able to exploit Houston’s backup cornerbacks deep with Alec Pierce before Pierce was ejected in the third quarter. The legacy of “The Colts believed so little in me that they brought in a 44-year-old grandfather” unfortunately will linger. Leonard played passably in relief of Daniel Jones against the Jaguars in his first career game, where he rushed for a score and had two passing touchdowns taken off the board by penalty. Leonard is probably just a long-term backup, but what we saw in two games against two tough defenses was broadly encouraging that he won’t wash out of the league.

Leonard, a sixth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, threw for 145 yards and an interception in relief of Daniel Jones in Week 14 against the Jaguars. The Colts were so impressed with Leonard’s performance that they immediately signed 44-year-old Philip Rivers. While Rivers wasn’t able to keep the Colts in playoff contention, he proved that he gave the Colts a better chance to win than the Notre Dame rookie. Leonard was known for his rushing ability in college, which is the only aspect of his game that’s interesting for fantasy purposes. In what’s essentially a preseason game with the Colts already eliminated, Leonard draws a difficult matchup against the Texans vaunted pass rush.

With their season over, the Colts will see what they have in Leonard, the 189th pick in the 2025 NFL Draft out of Notre Dame. Leonard completed 18 of 29 attempts for 145 yards and an interception against the Jaguars in Week 14 after Daniel Jones went down — a performance that led head coach Shane Steichen to sign 44-year-old Philip Rivers as a desperation measure. Leonard completed 61 percent of his passes for 365 yards, one touchdown, and one interception over three preseason appearances in the summer. He took one sacks on 22 pressures in those games and ran for 58 yards on seven rushes. Leonard’s rushing could make him interesting for superflex and DFS purposes in Week 18 against the Texans.

Steichen said in his Monday press conference that the team was still “having discussions” on who will start the finale against Houston, and that the team would announce a decision Wednesday. It’s possible that 44-year-old Philip Rivers could get one more chance at a win, but the Colts may want to see what they have in the (much) younger Riley Leonard. Anthony Richardson could also potentially get the nod for the meaningless finale, but with the signal-caller still dealing with vision limitations, it seems unlikely.

Philip Rivers will start this week. The Colts were officially eliminated from the playoff hunt with Houston’s win over the Chargers on Saturday. While they would likely rather get Leonard some live reps now that their season is over, it doesn’t make sense to pivot this late in the week. It looks like Week 17 versus the Jags will be Rivers’ sendoff, with Leonard likely drawing the start for the Colts’ 2025 finale.

Rapoport’s segment broke no news, but he has ostensibly been working the phones since last night’s pre-game report. Rivers is taking “some” first-team reps and, per Rapoport, is throwing the football “well.” Rookie QB Riley Leonard would seemingly have a better chance of rushing his way to QB2 viability, but the Colts apparently prefer Rivers’ theoretical pocket-passing ability.