Indianapolis Colts embattled longtime general manager Chris Ballard appears as though he already knows his starting quarterback for the 2026 regular season—even if he’s not currently under contract with his club.
Further, that quarterback may not even be ready for next year’s opener, although time will tell.
Of course, that quarterback referenced by Ballard is a familiar face: Daniel Jones, who is currently recovering from a season-ending torn Achilles suffered in Week 14, and is expected to be one of the Colts’ top priorities for retaining this offseason—along with breakout starting wideout Alec Pierce.
Ballard didn’t shy away when reiterating his franchise’s commitment regarding hopefully continuing with Jones:
When fully healthy, Jones was on pace to be a legitimate Pro Bowler—and was still named a Pro Bowl alternate, despite being hurt late in the season and missing the Colts’ last 4 starts.
Leading the league’s most prolific offense (and a historically elite one at that) before his injuries, Jones completed 261 of 384 pass attempts (68%) for 3,101 total passing yards, 19 passing touchdowns, and 8 interceptions during 13 starts in his debut campaign in Indianapolis.
The pairing of him and head coach Shane Steichen was highly productive, and with the latter announced as returning by team owner and CEO Carlie Irsay-Gordon, it only makes sense that Jones does too for 2026.
Especially, when considering the Colts lack of clear upgrades as readily available options. The 2026 free agent quarterback market either has well past their prime veterans or inferior replacements to Jones. Regarding the draft, the Colts are without their 2026 first round pick as a result of the trade deadline Sauce Gardner deal.
Bringing back Jones on a short-term deal, even recovering from the Achilles tear, makes a lot of sense.
On the other hand, the young quarterback who lost last year’s offseason quarterback competition with Jones, soon-to-be 4th-year quarterback Anthony Richardson, was lauded by general manager Chris Ballard for being a great teammate this past year and making strides, but having had a myriad of injuries (the latest being sheer terrible luck) and speculated earlier maturity issues, could be on his way out of Indianapolis this offseason:
Ballard added that Richardson still has to work through his vision limitations, following the fracturing of his orbital bone, and that, “We’ll see what the future holds for him when asked about his role with the franchise in Indianapolis or elsewhere.”
When rookie quarterback Riley Leonard was brought up, who played well in the regular season finale and started in relief of Jones, Ballard commented, “If Anthony doesn’t get to where we think he can be, can Riley be the [QB]2? Every year, I think it’s a position that we have to address in some way, fashion, or form.”
Right now, one quarterback appears to be well on his way to returning as the starter, while the other’s future is murky at best in Indianapolis.
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