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Colts HC Shane Steichen told reporters after Saturday’s preseason game against the Packers that he’s near to a decision on who the starting quarterback will be.
Third-year QB Anthony Richardson and veteran QB Daniel Jones have been vying for the role since the spring.
“I’m very close,” Steichen said via ESPN’s Stephen Holder. “I’ll say that. I’m very close.”
Richardson started last week’s preseason game against the Ravens but left early after failing to see a blitz and dislocating his pinkie. It didn’t keep him out of this past game, however, which Jones got to lead off.
Steichen shed a little bit of light on how he will decide who will get the start in Week 1 between Richardson and Jones.
“It’s everything,” Steichen said. “The operation, the communication in the huddle, the checks, getting guys on the same page. The consistency of all that, obviously, is going to play a big factor in this.”
The sense heading into camp was that Jones had a slight lead on Richardson after OTAs, and that Indianapolis was holding a true competition with no deference to Richardson’s recent draft capital. But Jones hasn’t pulled away from Richardson in camp, while Richardson has still dealt with some of the same struggles that have marred his career so far, like inaccuracy, inexperience and injuries.
“You’ve got two first-round draft picks, and when they both came in, I made it very clear that this is going to be a battle, and they’re going to compete for the job,” Steichen said. “And, like I said, I’m going to make the decision I feel is best for the team.”
Richardson, 23, declared for the draft following his redshirt sophomore season in 2022 and his first as a full-time starter at Florida. The Colts selected him with the No. 4 overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft.
He signed a four-year, $36,874,031 contract with a $23,817,477 signing bonus and will carry a $6,704,369 cap figure for the 2023 season. The Colts will also have a fifth-year option to decide on in 2026.
Richardson underwent season-ending shoulder surgery to repair his AC joint after going down in Week 5 of his rookie year.
In 2024, Richardson appeared in 11 games and completed 47.7 percent of his passes for 1,814 passing yards, eight touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He also rushed 86 times for 499 yards and six touchdowns.
Jones, 27, was selected by the Giants with the No. 6 overall pick out of Duke in the 2019 NFL Draft. He finished the final year of his four-year, $25,664,056 rookie contract that included a $16,684,768 signing bonus.
The Giants declined Jones’ fifth-year option entering the 2022 season. After playing out his deal, he signed a four-year, $160 million extension with the team in 2023.
Jones was granted his release by the Giants after being benched and was later signed to the Vikings’ practice squad. He then signed a one-year, $14 million deal with the Colts for the 2025 season.
In 2024, Jones...
