Daniel Jones, Colts Receive Bold Prediction for 2025

The Indianapolis Colts will enter the 2025 season having conducted a competition between Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones to be the starting quarterback.

On the surface, this is a battle between two largely maligned players, as both showed promise early in their careers as starters but were ultimately benched last season. Richardson got back onto the field for the Colts, but Jones was released by the New York Giants.

The Colts wanted to give Richardson the opportunity to re-win the starting QB job in 2025 but with competition for it, which came in the form of signing Jones in free agency.

For the most part, outside predictions have the Colts remaining a middling team due to unspectacular quarterback play. However, there are analysts out there who like this situation for either player; with Jones finally being surrounded by a good supporting cast or with Richardson remaining healthy and taking the necessary steps for a young player to develop.

Count national analysts Colin Cowherd and John Middlekauff among those excited about the prospect of Jones playing with the Colts and head coach Shane Steichen.

This week on "The Herd with Colin Cowherd," Cowherd and guest host Middlekauff produced bold predictions for the AFC, and Middlekauff included Jones leading the Colts to the playoffs as one of his predictions.

"This race is over. He's gonna be the starting quarterback," Middlekauff declared. "You would've said two years ago, 'Baker Mayfield leads Tampa to the playoffs? No chance.' Last year, 'Sam Darnold leads the Minnesota Vikings to 14 wins? No chance.' What does (Jones) get in Indy? An offensive coach (Steichen) who created the start of Jalen Hurts' career. A great running game, a lot like a couple years ago when (Jones) had a healthy Saquon Barkley. Jonathan Taylor almost had 1,500 yards last year."

"The division stinks," Middlekauff continued. "The Jags haven't been good, ever. Obviously, the Houston Texans, a lot of moving parts, a lot of question marks with the offense, and the Titans, no depth. So, when you just look at the division, you look at recent high picks who have resurrected their career. The Colts have pretty good players, and, just a couple years ago, Lou Anarumo, their new defensive coordinator, one of the best defensive coordinators in the league. Did he just get dumb overnight? No, the Bengals let all their players go."

"So, I think the Colts and Daniel Jones, a little like Alex Smith when Jim Harbaugh got to the Niners, they're not gonna ask him to do so much," Middlekauff said. "They're not looking for 40 touchdowns here. 'Throw me 20.'"

If Jones were to win the QB1 battle, then leading the Colts to the postseason would still actually be a bit of a surprise, for two reasons. First, Jones has only led a team to the playoffs once in his six-year career. Second, the Colts as a team have only been to the postseason twice in the last decade, when they were quarterbacked by Andrew Luck in 2018 and Philip Rivers in 2020.

Cowherd had no rebuttal for Middlekauff's prediction other than the opinion that Jones leading the Colts to the playoffs isn't that bold, referencing when Jones did it with an arguably less talented Giants team in 2022.

"I don't think Daniel Jones leading the Colts to the playoffs (is bold)," Cowherd said. "He made the playoffs in New York."

"I know," Middlekauff responded. "And there's way more talent on this (Colts) roster (than the 2022 Giants). Again, they're just looking at 9, 10 wins. I'm not talking 12, 13. Could he save Chris Ballard and Shane Steichen's career?"

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