Anthony Richardson, Daniel Jones Will Split QB1 Reps in Spring, Colts' Steichen Says

The Indianapolis Colts have maintained this offseason that the team will undergo a full quarterback competition heading into the 2025 season. Head coach Shane Steichen further confirmed that on Monday, saying that Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones will split reps with the first team in the spring.

"It'll start in the spring. They're gonna split the (starting) reps through spring practice and going into training camp," he told reporters from the NFL annual league meetings. "Really, it's gonna come down to who's the most consistent and who's the most productive. (He) will be the starter."

The Colts drafted Anthony Richardson with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft, but his first two seasons have been marked by injury, spotty play and his controversial decision to remove himself from a play during an October game against the Houston Texans because he was tired.

The Colts benched him in favor of Joe Flacco after that game, though Steichen said at the time that Richardson's self-removal didn't factor into the decision.

In all, Richardson has appeared in 15 games during his NFL career, throwing for 2,391 yards, 11 touchdowns and 13 interceptions while completing just 50.6 percent of his passes and taking 21 sacks. He's also rushed for 635 yards and 10 touchdowns.

There's no doubt Richardson has major potential. He has a cannon for an arm and is a playmaker when he tucks and runs. But he's been wildly inconsistent, a major issue.

"That definitely needs to improve, the completion percentage," Steichen told reporters Monday. "I think you can't go broke taking a profit. But getting those completions are huge. And just moving the chains—instead of being in 2nd-and-10, maybe taking the checkdowns, [you get] yourself into 2nd-and-2. So, we're going to be working on that this offseason and going into training camp."

As for the team's quarterback competition this offseason, Jones was brought in as the other option. Whether he's much of an upgrade is debatable.

The 27-year-old's most touchdown passes came in 2019, with 24, adding 3,027 passing yards and 12 interceptions. His best season and most team success came in 2022, however, when he led the New York Giants to a 9-6-1 record as the starter and a playoff berth, throwing for a career-high 3,205 yards to go along with 15 touchdowns and five picks (he added 708 rushing yards and seven scores that season).

Overall as the starter, however, Jones was just 24-44-1 with the Giants. Perhaps a change of scenery will benefit him. Certainly, the Colts are hoping this offseason's quarterback competition will bring out the best in both Jones and Richardson.

Let the games begin.