Colts failed Anthony Richardson Sr. by making Daniel Jones QB1

The Indianapolis Colts starting Daniel Jones as their quarterback for Week 1 does nothing for this team. 

Instead of going with the still raw and unproven Anthony Richardson Sr., team leadership has decided to roll with the former Giant, who was signed in the offseason. 

For many, this signals the end of the Richardson era in Indianapolis after a very short 15-start reign for the 23-year-old. By going with Jones as the starter, the Colts are effe ctively giving up on the project player they knew was going to need time when they drafted him in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

Richardson only started 13 games in college, but he was the most intriguing quarterback prospect because of his raw athleticism and arm strength — traits you simply can’t teach. What made the former Florida QB so polarizing was the fact that everything else in his game needed to be refined for him to become a competent starter at the NFL level. The consensus on Richardson was that he needed time before he could be ready to start in the league.

What the Colts did during Richardson's rookie year was name him the starter for Week 1. He was subsequently injured for the season and replaced by veteran backup Gardner Minshew. This meant that Richardson missed practices, meetings and valuable developmental time. It’s almost as if the Colts bought a filet mignon steak and served it raw — expecting that to go over well.

Richardson was raw, unproven and in desperate need of coaching and guidance to grow as a professional quarterback. The Colts needed to give their 2023 first-round pick time, but instead, they threw him to the wolves. 

Even NFL legend Tom Brady isn't too fond of today's NFL.

"I think it's just a tragedy that we're forcing these rookies to play early, but the reality is the only reason why we are is because we've dumbed the game down, which has allowed them to play," Brady said in August 2024.

This goes without saying, but Richardson was never expected to become the next Brady. However, there are recent examples of quarterbacks who benefited from sitting for a season before becoming strong NFL starters. 

Patrick Mahomes, whom the Kansas City Chiefs drafted 10th overall in 2017, sat out his rookie year, and then in 2018, won the NFL MVP. The rest is history. Look even more recently at Jordan Love, who was a project like Richardson and sat for three seasons behind Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay. Love passed for over 4,000 yards and 32 touchdowns in his first season as a starter in 2023. 

The cases of Sam Darnold and Zach Wilson run similarly to Richardson's. They were two former New York Jets quarterbacks who had the entire franchise's hopes pinned to them in Week 1 of their rookie seasons. 

Darnold was the third pick in 2018, and Wilson was the second in 2021. Both quarterbacks struggled as Jets. I n his career, Wilson has 23 touchdowns to 25 interceptions, and Darnold had a ratio of 45 touchdowns to 39 interceptions with New York. 

Things haven't worked out so far for Wilson. Darnold had a surprisingly decent season as the Minnesota Vikings starter last year. He led them to 14 wins, made a Pro-Bowl and signed a three-year, $100.5 million deal with the Seahawks this offseason. It seems that all Darnold needed was time. 

As for Richardson, who will be a backup for the first time in his career, he should use this opportunity to study, grow and learn the game. That way, when the Colts — or more likely, another team — give him another chance to start, he’ll be ready.