The book on Colts QB Daniel Jones: Top traits, biggest weakness and why he gets so much hate (2025)

Let the best man win.

Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard said at the end of the season that he couldn’t “stamp” Anthony Richardson, the No. 4 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, as the face of the franchise. Two months later, he couldn’t even stamp Richardson as the team’s starting quarterback in 2025. Ballard declared an open QB competition during the NFL Scouting Combine and doubled down on that declaration by bringing in a challenger for Richardson.

Daniel Jones is his choice.

The 2019 No. 6 pick, who was benched and released by the New York Giants in 2024 before joining the Minnesota Vikings for the rest of that season, has agreed to a one-year, $14 million deal with the Colts. Jones likely chose Indianapolis for a chance to be a starter again, but any redemption he seeks with his new franchise hinges on its belief — or lack thereof — in Richardson, the Colts’ highest-drafted QB since Andrew Luck was selected No. 1 in 2012.

To better understand Jones, I caught up with The Athletic’s Giants reporter Dan Duggan, who covered every snap of Jones’ career with the franchise. We talked at length about the QB trying to take Richardson’s spot:

Why do you think it didn’t work out for Jones in New York? How much is he to blame versus the failures of the franchise around him?

Duggan: I think it’s a combination of those two factors because he never had a good supporting cast, for the most part, the entire time he was here. They could never get all of the pieces in place. The offensive line was horrendous for most of his time. Other than Saquon (Barkley), the supporting cast was pretty bad, in terms of the skill players, for most of his time, too.

But he certainly played a role in it, as well. He has limitations (as a passer), so when they took him at No. 6, that really felt like a reach. He showed flashes his rookie year like, “OK, there’s something here,” but the problem with his rookie year is that he fumbled a ton, and I honestly think Jason Garrett (the Giants offensive coordinator from 2020-21) and Joe Judge (the Giants coach from 2020-21) might’ve broken him. They came in during his second year, and he got so concerned about turning the ball over that he became ultra-conservative, and he never really broke out of that, not even when (current Giants coach Brian) Daboll got here.

My takeaway: Duggan’s breakdown speaks to a theme several coaches and executives, including Ballard, have shared regarding young quarterbacks’ successes and failures in the NFL: It’s not just a player’s skill set or mindset, their environment matters a lot, too.

Two other things stood out to me: Jones’ confidence being shaken early in his career and his subsequent conservative playing style because of it. I don’t think Indy is a good place to rebuild confidence at the QB position, especially considering how bad this franchise has been at that spot in the non-Peyton Manning and Luck years.

Sure, playing well will be a huge factor in rebuilding Jones’ confidence, but he must do a lot of that healing on his own. Plus, if Jones is going to play it safe on the field, then why should anyone believe he can be a better player with the Colts than he was with the Giants? There’s a line between being aggressive and reckless, and Jones must be willing to test it if he plans on winning the starting job.

Playing in New York comes with a different level of scrutiny, but why does it seem like Jones is such an easy target for other players to pick on? Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin even trash-talked him last year on Franklin’s podcast.

Duggan: I actually wrote a feature on this. It’s like a phenomenon because I’ve never seen a player get roasted by his peers more than him. Like yeah, when you’re the New York Giants quarterback, you’re going to be put on the back pages. Even Eli (Manning) was on the back pages, and he’s a two-time Super Bowl winner.

But players would not pull any punches, and they’d just talk s— about him. It was just wild because usually the player brings it upon himself, but Jones never said or did anything offensive in his entire time here. … It’s almost like since he doesn’t have this objectionable personality, it made him such an easy target because you’re the face of the Giants, which is the old and stodgy organization, and a lot of people think he got overpaid. So, everyone just kind of teed off.

My takeaway: It may be a little awkward when Jones and Franklin share a meeting room for the first time since Franklin said in October he wanted to pick off Jones and beat a terrible Giants team. Neither happened.

The irony in Franklin’s claim, which came back to bite him when Drew Lock (not Jones) eliminated the Colts from playoff contention, was that the last time Jones faced Franklin and the Colts, in 2022, it was arguably the best game of Jones’ career. He finished the day 19-of-24 passing for 177 yards and two touchdowns, while adding 11 carries for 91 yards and two more scores in a playoff-clinching win for New York.

That game likely helped Jones land a four-year, $160 million extension the following offseason. Obviously, he couldn’t keep it up since he was jettisoned from New York, but he certainly won’t receive any sympathy in Indianapolis. Colts players may be done picking on Jones, but Colts fans are starving for better QB play, so the criticism will remain loud for Jones and Richardson if they continue to play the position poorly.

What are the strengths of Jones’ game? And what’s held him back from being a franchise QB?

Duggan: I think the biggest thing with him is his rushing ability. That’s what sets him apart. I don’t think if he was just asked to be a pocket passer, he’d ever be in the top half of quarterbacks in the league. But that one year when they went to the playoffs in 2022, he rushed for over 700 yards and seven TDs. They really unlocked him from that aspect. …

But he’s not great at going through his progression, and that’s where he gets himself in trouble. That’s one thing I think they’ve ingrained in him was: “When you hit the final set of your drop, if the first option isn’t there, then just take off.” You’re not winning any Super Bowls like that, but it can be effective and efficient.

The most frustrating part from a team and fan angle is that he really looks the part. In shorts and a shirt in OTAs, he looks like he was built in a lab, but he could just never put it all together.

My takeaway: Wait, is Duggan talking about Jones or Richardson? I can’t tell the difference based on the description he gave of Jones. Since both QBs are limited passers and gifted runners, I wouldn’t expect Colts coach Shane Steichen to change much of the offense depending on who wins the starting job. If anything, this further cements that the Colts will be — and should be — a run-first team in 2025.

But as Duggan pointed out, that comes with limitations. The Eagles boasted the most potent ground game in the NFL last year, powered by superstar running back Barkley, but Jalen Hurts still had to make big-time throws throughout the regular season and playoffs for the Eagles to win it all.

Jones did throw for 301 yards and two TDs in the Giants’ last playoff win, over the Vikings in 2022. However, now that we’re three years removed from that game, Duggan believes it was more of an outlier performance than who Jones really is as a player.

Richardson was benched last year due to what Steichen labeled as poor game preparation. How would you describe Jones’ work ethic and competitive fire?

Duggan: He is all of the clichés. First in, last out. Works hard. Great teammate. Determined. Anything you’d want in a quarterback as far as the intangibles, he kills it. Even when things were going bad, his teammates never sniped about him or called for him to be benched. They genuinely respected him because they knew how hard he worked.

He’ll come in, I’m sure, with a big chip on his shoulder because he was pretty pissed off with how everything went down last season. Not only did they try to trade up and get rid of him, they also documented it on (HBO’s) “Hard Knocks.” So, he’ll never really show it, but when you talk to people around him, it definitely bothered him. Now, it would be a better story if he went out and had a career year last season after all of that, but he’s definitely someone who still internalizes that.

My takeaway: I believe Jones’ dedication is one of the biggest reasons the Colts brought him in for their open QB competition. Time will tell if Indianapolis is serious about potentially moving on from Richardson before he starts another game for the franchise, which still feels like a long shot, but the team wanted someone to light a fire under Richardson. The easiest way to do that? Putting Jones right beside him as a constant reminder of what it means to be a professional.

Duggan said Jones won’t be too interested in being a mentor to Richardson, which makes sense considering Jones is only 27 and looking to revitalize his career. But regardless of who’s named the Week 1 starter, I highly doubt Richardson will slip up from a work ethic standpoint in Year 3 because if he does, Jones will be ready to pounce.

Do you think Jones can enjoy a redemption arc in Indianapolis like Geno Smith, Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold have had in their careers?

Duggan: I think it’s possible, but if you’re asking for Jones’ ceiling, then it’s probably something like that 9-7-1 season in 2022 when he led the Giants to the playoffs. I know the Colts have hovered around .500 the last few seasons, so he might be the guy who can get you two more wins. So instead of going 8-9 like last year, they can go 10-7 and make the playoffs this year.

But I’d be stunned if he pulled off a Sam Darnold and came in and went 14-3. He’s 3-13 in his last 16 starts. Now, I don’t think he’s that bad either. I just think he lives in that vast middle land that most quarterbacks occupy. So again, the ceiling is probably just a little bump up from what they’ve had.

My takeaway: Jones started 69 of 70 games across six seasons in New York and went 24-44-1. That’s a pretty big sample size, so expecting him to suddenly flip the Colts into contenders is unrealistic. No one in Indianapolis believes he’d do that anyway, so unless Richardson is just downright awful, it remains in the Colts’ best interest to give him one more shot to put it together in 2025. The 22-year-old has started just 15 games in his career with an 8-7 record. Yes, Richardson’s tenure has been a lot more down than up, but if the Colts have to pivot to Jones, he’ll likely be another stopgap QB until the team resets again next offseason.

(Photo: Al Bello / Getty Images)