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The Indianapolis Colts paid Daniel Jones something between backup and starter money in free agency. Now they plan to make good on their quarterback investment, with coach Shane Steichen revealing Monday that Jones will split first-team reps with incumbent starter Anthony Richardson in spring practices.
Steichen said the Colts intend to divvy up the reps throughout the offseason, according to NBC Sports, but didn't provide a specific timeline for naming a 2025 starter. So barring an otherworldly performance from either Jones or Richardson in organized team activities, the Colts' competition is likely to run through training camp and perhaps preseason, just as the Las Vegas Raiders' open competition did in 2024.
Jones signed a one-year, $14 million deal with the Colts early in free agency, and can earn an additional $3.7 million via performance incentives. Those numbers would easily make him the NFL's highest-paid backup, or a lower-end starter in the ballpark of the New York Jets' Justin Fields ($20 million). Either way, the former New York Giants first-round draft pick is set to earn more than Richardson in 2025.
Richardson was in and out of the Colts' lineup in 2024. Drafted No. 4 overall out of Florida in 2023, the young quarterback has missed a combined 19 games over his first two years due to injuries. He was also briefly benched in favor of Joe Flacco as a second-year starter, completing just 48% of his passes on the season, before telling reporters he's battled back issues since childhood.
