NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero was first to report that the Indianapolis Colts will start Daniel Jones at quarterback this season over Anthony Richardson, who will serve as backup.

Coach Shane Steichen said he told the quarterbacks his decision Tuesday morning.  He shared: “He’s [Jones] the starting quarterback for the season. I don’t want to have a short leash on that … You guys heard me talk about the consistency. That’s really what I was looking for. Really the operations at the line of scrimmage, the checks, the protection, the ball placement, the completion percentage, all that played a factor in it. I think Daniel did a great job doing that, and I think A.R. has made strides in that area, but I do feel that he still needs to continue to develop in those areas. I had a chance to talk to both of them this morning. They were both great. A.R. was great. He knows that he still needs to develop and learn in those areas, and he knows that he’s one play away .. I thought the competition in training camp was great by both of those guys. I thought they both competed really hard. It was good to see them cheering for each other and battling the way they did.”

The New York Giants selected Jones with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, releasing the six-year veteran in November. He signed with the Vikings five days later, where he spent time on their practice squad and was promoted to their active roster ahead of their wild card playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams, while serving as the emergency third-string quarterback. The Colts later signed Jones to a one-year deal in March.

Over the first 70 appearances of his career, Jones completed 64.1% of his throws for 14,582 yards, 70 scores and 47 interceptions; and also ran for 2,179 yards and 15 scores over his first six seasons. Over 10 starts last season for the Giants, Jones completed 63.3% of his throws for 2,070 yards, eight scores and seven interceptions.

Richardson was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, and over the first 15 starts of his career he completed 50.6% of his throws for 2,391 yards, 11 scores and 13 interceptions, running for 635 yards and 10 scores over his first two seasons. Over 11 starts last season, Richardson completed just 47.7% of his throws for 1,814 yards, eight scores and 12 interceptions.  He missed several games over the last two seasons due to being injured or benched.

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