When Daniel Jones signed with the Indianapolis Colts earlier this year, some wondered why he made that decision instead of re-signing with the Minnesota Vikings. Well, on Thursday, Jones's choice was validated when the Colts revealed that Anthony Richardson is currently dealing with an injury.
According to Indianapolis, Richardson aggravated the same AC joint he injured during the 2023 season during one of the team's OTA practices last week. Following the injury, the Colts have decided to keep him sidelined for the rest of this year's OTAs, including their mandatory mini-camp, and they expect him to return to the field in training camp this summer.
With Richardson out of action for the next few weeks, Jones now has a great opportunity to prove to Indianapolis why he deserves to begin the 2025 season as the team's starting quarterback.
After leaving the Minnesota Vikings, Daniel Jones now has a clear path to be QB1 for the Indianapolis Colts
Before signing with the Colts this offseason, Jones was reportedly presented with a contract offer that was more than what Indianapolis was offering him. However, the offer from Minnesota came with a catch.
The Vikings wanted Jones to be their top backup behind J.J. McCarthy for the upcoming season. But Jones wasn't going to have much of a chance to start for Minnesota, as they only really wanted him to be an insurance policy for McCarthy if he were to get injured in 2025.
So, even though Indianapolis reportedly offered him less money, the opportunity to compete for the starting job with Richardson was clearly more enticing for the former Vikings quarterback.
Now, less than three months after Jones signed with the Colts, he already has the chance that he was hoping for. The ball is now in the hands of the former Minnesota signal-caller to prove during the next few weeks that he's the better option between him and Richardson when it comes to who should open the 2025 season as Indianapolis's starting quarterback.