The Indianapolis Colts named former New York Giants first-round pick Daniel Jones as their starting quarterback for the 2025 season.
Jones beat out Anthony Richardson, who was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft and played in 11 games for the Colts in 2024.
The battle between Jones and Richardson was an interesting one, with both signal-callers having things to prove. After Jones won the job, Richardson’s name was thrown around in several trade proposals and predictions.
After teams trimmed their rosters to 53 players this week, the Colts didn’t move on from Richardson and plan on him being the No. 2 QB behind Jones.
However, the Colts did take trade calls on Richardson, but general manager Chris Ballard made it clear they do not plan on trading him.
“Yeah, no, but we’re not trading him,” Ballard said when asked if they have taken calls on Richardson, via Nick Shook of NFL.com.
“Both of them competed, [were] professional, battled to the end, and at the end of the day, Daniel won the job,” Ballard added. “Does that mean we’re down on Anthony? No, but I don’t want to dismiss that, Daniel — he’s had a good run here.”
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After Richardson lost the job, his agent, Deiric Jackson, had quite the response.
“We have a lot to discuss,” he said. “Trust is a big factor and that is, at best, questionable right now. Anthony came back and made the improvements in the areas he needed to improve. And by all accounts, he had a great camp…When they needed a big play last year, whose hands did they put the ball in? Anthony’s.”
So, that prompted plenty of trade questions regarding the former Florida Gators QB, but as of now, the Colts don’t plan on trading him.
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During Wednesday’s session with reporters, Ballard continued to talk about Richardson.
“I’m proud of Anthony, of where he’s at, how far he’s come,” Ballard stated. “He’s come miles… Now to continue to do that, that’s when we’ve got a chance to see real growth. There’s a lot of value in sitting behind a guy that’s a professional.”
In 2024, Richardson threw for 1,814 yards with eight touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
In his rookie year, he suffered an AC joint injury and he suffered an oblique injury in 2024, which caused him to miss time.
Richardson also suffered an injury scare this preseason, but he was able to avoid a serious injury absence before ultimately losing the job to Jones.
Considering Jones has played just 16 games combined over the last two seasons, the ex-Gators QB could be the team’s starter at some point in 2025.
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