The Indianapolis Colts did the thing on Tuesday, naming Daniel Jones as their Week 1 starter at quarterback. That puts 2023 first-round pick Anthony Richardson at a stark disadvantage. Very few young quarterbacks go on to have long, successful careers after being benched as frequently as Richardson. It's hard to see the path forward for the Florida Gators product, at least in Indianapolis.
Now, is this the right decision? Of course not. Elevating Daniel Jones for his perceived stability and game management skills is the football equivalent of putting a paper towel over a pot of boiling water. Eventually it will collapse and sink into the pot. Jones has 10 touchdowns and 13 interceptions over his last 16 NFL starts. This Colts offense has shown real flashes of potential in the past under Shane Steichen, but the man has been dealt the worst imaginable hand and he's playing it poorly.
Steichen said that he wants to give Jones a long leash and to avoid further complications in the QB room. That says more about Richardson than anything else, as Steichen continues to show a complete absence of faith in the 23-year-old.
Colts HC Shane Steichen is not planning for this to be a short-term arrangement for Daniel Jones. “He's the starting QB for the season,” Steichen told reporters today. “I don’t want to have a short leash on that.” https://t.co/Sl29DWj002
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 19, 2025
With Richardson and the Colts clearly misaligned long term, one can't help but think toward the 2026 NFL Draft and the potential No. 1 overall pick: Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning.
Colts' Anthony Richardson demotion sets the stage for Arch Manning
Daniel Jones is not ancient at 28 years old, but he's not a long-term solution. He inked a one-year, $14.5 million contract to join the Colts. If Jones exceeds all expectations, there's a good chance he gets paid more elsewhere. If he (more believably) struggles, well, he won't be back.
Richardson still has the most long-term equity in the Colts' QB room. He's an extremely young third-year quarterback with arguably the most tantalizing physical tools in the entire NFL. The dude is a preposterous athlete. He has everything a team could ask for at quarterback, except the necessary processing skills. For now, at least.
If the Colts are ready to cut bait with Richadson — and it's hard to read this development any other way — then it's only natural to start daydreaming about Arch Manning, the nephew of former Indy sports legend Peyton Manning.
Arch Manning could end the Colts' cycle of QB mediocrity
This season is about to be a torturous experience for Colts fans. We can be honest. As rough around the edges as Richardson is, he can at least generate explosive plays to raise a team's ceiling. Jones is a reserved, often scared operator in the pocket. He doesn't really stretch the field vertically, but he's also not very efficient in the intermediate range. How this dude has tricked Indianapolis into giving him a starting job is beyond me.
It will all be worth it if Manning is the end result, though. It's unclear if the redshirt sophomore will actually declare for the 2026 NFL Draft, but one has to think he'd appreciate the opportunity to continue the family legacy in Indianapolis. Arch's grandfather and namesake played for the New Orleans Saints, which has led to a lot of Saints-centric speculation. But the Colts lurk in the shadows as an equally compelling extension of the Manning NFL lineage.
Buckle in for a rough and tumble season, Colts fans. But know it could all end with a very pleasant, poetic solution to your QB woes.