The Indianapolis Colts bulked up the secondary in free agency, but the topic of conversation will always turn to the quarterback situation.
Indy inked former first-round pick Daniel Jones to compete with Anthony Richardson. Jones signed a one-year, $14 million contract worth up to $17.7 million with incentives.
On "Behind the Colts: 2025 Free Agency," produced by the team's official website, general manager Chris Ballard said that the club targeted the former New York Giants quarterback because he brings a similar skill set to the position.
"Between Daniel and Anthony, you're going to see a really good competition," Ballard said, via Stampede Blue. "It's going to be a spirited competition, but I also think it's going to be one where they help each other to grow too.
"And so we thought Daniel's skill set and Anthony's skill set -- there's a lot of similarities there. So offensively, I think that's going to help our offensive staff, so OK, we don't have to make these wholesale changes with one guy or the other."
There is logic in having quarterbacks with similar skill sets for coach Shane Steichen. With Joe Flacco the Colts' primary backup last year, the offensive plans were different when the veteran entered the game. Jones and Richardson both owning the ability to use their legs allows for continuity.
In the end, however, the only thing that matters is having a quarterback who can move the ball with consistency -- something that neither Richardson nor Jones has done with regularity in their young careers. Ballard continues to preach that competition will help both grow.
"Competition brings out the best of anybody," Ballard said. "It's a competitive league. We're not just bringing in anybody. It had to be somebody that's really going to be able to challenge Anthony, and I think it's going to go both ways. Anthony will challenge Daniel also."
Ballard enters Year 9 in Indianapolis still searching for stability in the quarterback situation following Andrew Luck's injury and abrupt retirement in 2019. Having missed the postseason each of the past four seasons in a winnable AFC South, things are getting desperate in Indy. The GM is betting that pitting two struggling quarterbacks against one another can help each reach the next level.
"Excited about both of them. Excited to get Daniel in the building," he said. "I think he's a really good fit for what we want to do, and who he is as a person, and who he can be as a player."
