The Indianapolis Colts’ decision to agree terms with former New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones has caused a stir among the team’s fanbase. Shortly after the agreement was announced, former NFL quarterback Chase Daniel described the decision as “A head-scratcher.”
Indianapolis Colts Agree to Terms with Daniel Jones
Since Colts general manager Chris Ballard announced in February that the team wanted to create competition within its quarterback room, a veteran signing has been on the cards. That situation became much clearer after it was announced that the team had agreed to terms with Jones on a one-year $14 million deal for 2025.
News of the deal went down as well as could have been expected online, with memes, jokes, and opinions filling timelines immediately after the agreement was revealed.
One such opinion came from Daniel, a former NFL journeyman who had spells with six teams over a 13-year career.
Chase Daniel Rips Colts for Jones Deal
Speaking on “The Facility,” with co-hosts LeSean McCoy, James Jones, and Emmanuel Acho, Daniel questioned the move, pointing to the Colts’ recent history at the position. According to the former pro, Jones’ arrival in Indianapolis is terrible news for Anthony Richardson.
“When you give a guy a $14 million deal, up to $17 million [with] incentives, you’re the starter.” While $14 million certainly isn’t franchise quarterback money, it’s more than Richardson’s yearly salary and significantly more than most backups.
“They’re gonna say ‘compete.’ But if Daniel Jones is even an inkling better than Anthony Richardson, he will start.” Another year of Richardson sitting behind a veteran starter would be a bad look for the Colts, who drafted Richardson with the fourth overall pick in 2023.
“It’s a head-scratcher for me,” Daniels continued, to the agreement of his co-hosts.
Daniels’ reasoning then got cloudy, first listing a string of veteran quarterbacks that the Colts have signed in recent years,
“They’ve had multiple experiences with multiple veteran backups throughout his (Ballard’s) tenure there. Carson Wentz, remember that? Philip Rivers, remember that? Joe Flacco, remember that? Matt Ryan, remember that? And now Daniel Jones, remember that?”
Despite the final “remember that?” not making sense, Daniel continued, “Five guys that the Colts have signed, trying to fix this quarterback problem that’s been left since Andrew Luck abruptly retired. Like, that’s what this is screaming to me.”
The trouble with Daniel’s argument is that all but one of those veteran quarterbacks were signed as starters. Flacco replaced Richardson mid-way through the 2024 season, but Wentz, Rivers, and Ryan all started for the team, with only Ryan playing fewer than 16 games.
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The Colts’ move for Jones just furthers their non-committal stance on Richardson. Jones’ money could have been spent elsewhere if the team wanted the raw prospect to be their franchise starter. However, if the team wants to move on from their 2023 first-round pick, they must take a more significant swing than the former Giant.
It looks like Indianapolis will experience another year of quarterback uncertainty, though, which is unlikely to help the franchise or its young quarterback prospect.