The Indianapolis Colts are in an unpredictable space this offseason. They had a solid season and were in the playoff hunt until the end of the season. But their potential franchise quarterback is one of the rawest prospects in NFL history and the results match that standing.
While there are flashes of his immense potential, the production hasn’t been very consistent, and General Manager Chris Ballard has confirmed plans to bring in competition for Richardson. With that in mind, one NFL insider names four quarterbacks, that Ballard, and the Colts could pursue this offseason.
4 Potential Names Anthony Richardson Could Face Competition From Next Season
Last year, Richardson played 11 games and tallied just 1,814 yards with a completion percentage under 50%. As a result, finding any kind of consistency for the offense was a struggle, and the team even benched him for Joe Flacco for a brief run to steer the ship.
Next season, Colts GM Chris Ballard doesn’t want a similar scenario. Instead, speaking at the NFL Scouting Combine, he made it clear that Indy will be adding another quarterback to challenge Richardson for the starting job. To him, it’s necessary to create some competition for the starting job in order to bring out the best in the 22-year-old.
“It’s got to be the right guy to create real competition. But we want to create real competition,” Ballard said. “I think it’s good for the team. I think it’s good for Anthony. We drafted Anthony high, knowing it was going to take some time. And we knew there’s going to be some hiccups along the way.”
Now, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler revealed that the Colts are looking for veteran competition for Richardson. The names on their radar include Daniel Jones, Justin Fields, Trey Lance, and Jacoby Brissett.
“As the Colts look for veteran quarterback options, names on their radar include Daniel Jones, Justin Fields, Trey Lance and Jacoby Brissett. This is a mix of quarterbacks who can support Anthony Richardson and guys who will be looking to start games somewhere. I’ve heard Jones’ name more than once in regards to the Colts.
“Indianapolis has not given up on Richardson, but how the team approaches the free agency period will be telling.”
While Richardson placed 37th in the PFSN’s QB+ metric, the four names suggested by Fowler had no less disappointing seasons either. Jones ranked 32nd and was pretty much bad on everything, while Fields only threw 161 passes and didn’t qualify for the QB+ metric.
Meanwhile, Lance played a single game for the Cowboys, while Brissett was the starting QB for the New England Patriots at the start of the season but only managed to throw for 161 passes.
It’s clear that none of the four names would be a major upgrade, but as far as competition is concerned, Jones and Fields are the two names who can make Richardson work hard for the starting position.
The Colts also have an option of looking for Richardson’s competition in the 2025 NFL Draft and are projected to pick Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel in the fourth round in PFSN’s latest seven-round mock draft by Jacob Infante. Gabriel is one of the most productive quarterbacks in college football history, with the most career touchdown passes in FBS history, and could give “real competition” to Richardson.