If Jones isn't signed... Who would you choose
 

Sounds like htere could be a lot of FA QB's coming up If we cant get Jones signed. Who would you want the Colts to target and why

Bring back Gardner Minshew to backup Riley Leonard

o


I would roll with Riley Leonard, and I would keep Anthony Richardson as the back-up ....... Richardson has been erratic, but erratic is better than flat-out bad ...... in my rat's ass of an opinion, Richardson's mobility, strength, and determination (such as his willingness to put his shoulder down and take on defenders in crucial situations) is what makes him a relatively middle-tier QB, as opposed to a bad/lower-tier QB.

o

o


That said, I would much prefer to sign Daniel Jones and have Riley Leonard as the back-up, for 2 reasons.



A) l I believe that based on his brief play in the 2 games in which he played in 2025, Riley Leonard has the tools to be the future QB of the Colts.


B) l Because of what I just said about Leonard to having the tools to be at least a very good Colts QB of the future, I think that a Jones/Leonard 1-2 combination is better than a Leonard/Richardson 1-2 combination.

o

I'd let Leonard/Richardson battle it out, open the coffers and buy us a defense.

I would go with Leonard. Those other dudes are destined for the trash heap!

I agree. If Richardson wins, maybe, just maybe ...? if Leonard wins, maybe, just maybe he can be a decent QB for us.

Then, we can trade Richardson with the knowledge that the Colts gave him every chance to shine.

Retain Leonard and Richardson.

Draft best QB prospect in 2nd or 3rd round of 2026 draft.

May the best of those three QBs win the starting job.

[EDIT: Pay Phillip Rivers to be available 24/7 via VTC to mentor the young QBs.]

Sign Pierce to a minimum of a 3 year extension.

Use every other resource in Ballard's arsenal to shore up the defense and depth for the offensive line. No other draft picks or free agents signed except defense and O-Line depth.

That would be my plan instead of expending 35m+ per season average on Daniel Jones.

I think he is going to disapoint whomever signs him to that big contract.

I am very gun shy of putting in a rookie, or someone like AR or Leonard under the pressure of being the starter for Indy.

I think Riley might have a pretty good future. But I think he needs to sit under a vet for at least another yr.

AR was damaged by rushing him in to quickly

Either way on any of this. We will need a vet. Let them all battle. But we need a vet on the roster. Not another rookie someone with NFL game experience

I voted Fields. He would probably be the least expensive vet on this list and I wouldn't want to pay any of the others.

Gun shy is a good description I have of any of these alternatives including signing Jones to a massive contract (probably more gun shy of that than anything). There is no 'good' decision here, so I am hoping we make a lucky one

I would go with AR, we are already paying him, why go for any of the others on that list, that are just as unproven as AR, or possibly more importantly already proven they are not up to scratch (Tua, Murray).

I would love for that to happen IF he has matured and learned a thing or two But unfortunately I believe the bridge has been burned between the Colts and AR

Destin Adams
@TheDestinAdams
·
20m
I'm not a Kyler Murray guy by any means

But Murray on a minimum deal is definitely more enticing than Daniel Jones on a 45-ish million deal 🤷🏻*♂️

And for that reason, the Colts have more leverage than people think

I still think they agree to an extension, though

I think the only reason the bridge is burned is because the Colts decided to go all in on Daniel Jones. If Jones falls through (and I don't expect that will actually happen) then why has any bridge been burnt? Neither side has said anything derogatory about the other. It just makes no sense for AR to be here if Jones is the long term answer. I think both sides are actually being adults

Spotrac

@spotrac

·
23h

6 NFL Quarterbacks with guaranteed money are reportedly (or squarely) on the release bubble, & could therefore be signed elsewhere on a minimum contract.

Kyler Murray ($1.3M)
Geno Smith ($1.3M)
Kirk Cousins ($1.3M)
Tua Tagovailoa ($1.2M)
Justin Fields ($1.2M)
Anthony Richardson ($1M)

Easy


you go with AR and Leonard. Bring in a vet for the QB room.


spend on defense and know we will win at best 8 games. at best we are winning 8 games regardless.

Albert Breer is reporting that Jones wants $50 million per year

This guy acts like he led us to an AFC championship game

He wanted that one last huge payday before showing his true colors. Man I hope I'm wrong.

Perception is not reality but I personally find this ironic. Perhaps I shouldn't. To me, Jones, Steichen, and Ballard are a throuple. All of their fates are tied together.

A player maximizing their value is certainly not new thing but I find this one curious. It smells different than when Taylor was trying to get a contract and decided throwing the organization's character under the bus was the best route (His strategy paid off).

Indy is not the big corporate parasite here that consumes all the value out of the relationship. Taylor could at least make an argument for that. I'm inclined to believe Jones needs this organization more than we need him.

I'm disappointed this is even a thing. Pierce is able to walk because this is a thing.

Ehhh, I’m never really against guys trying to maximize their earnings. They play a brutal game. They should get all they can while they can.

I agree this one is particularly annoying though.

The Dolphins will release Tua Wednesday. Although I concede that neither he nor Jones are good options for the Colts, I think Tua would be by far the better option of the two.

He's a lefty. Changes the dynamics of the Oline I don't like left handed QBs

Just adding this in


Stampede Blue
@StampedeBlue
·
5h
Per
@AlbertBreer
, the #Colts offered QB Daniel Jones a contract similar to the one Sam Darnold signed with the Seahawks (3 years $100.5 million). Jones’s camp counter offered a deal which would pay him around $50 million per year.

Here is the story behind it

https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/co...032714467.html

He’s not worth 33 million a year, let alone 50.

I don’t see any other team even offering him 33 million per.

Jones´people need to lay off the crack pipes and face facts. He is NOT a top 5 QB, cannot seem to stay healthy for a full season and a deal similar to Darnolds with similar situations is more realistic. Clearly they are shooting for the stars here but I cannot see the Colts playing along with this.

I also think the agent for Pierce needs to get realistic also.

They’ve become buddies so it seems like it’s a situation where they’ve teamed up with each other at the poker table trying to get the colts to ante up or risk losing both players.

I’m still mind blown they let an 8 game sample size from Daniel jones cripple them like this

o


I've said this before ...... I believe that Daniel Jones needs the Colts just as much as the Colts need Daniel Jones.

Jones caught a lot of shit when he was playing for the New York Giants in the first 6 seasons of his career, and for 10 games of the 2025 season he was one of the top-4 QB's in the NFL before he broke his fibula in the Chiefs game ...... 10 games is a little more than half a season, and Jones needs more than that to prove that the biggest problem in New York was the fact that he had bad teams surrounding him, rather than himself. Jones knows the offensive system in Indianapolis, and his best shot to continue the resurrection of his career is to stay right where he is. He knows that the Colts want him to stay at least for another year, because they transition-tagged him. If Daniel Jones, who went to Duke University and who was accepted at Princeton University prior to going to Duke, is too stupid to realize that he needs to stay right where he is in order to maximize his ultimate legacy as an NFL quarterback, then I don't have one iota of sympathy for him. He has already made a grand total of $122 Million before his 30th birthday playing for the Giants and the Colts ...... he needs to try to reinforce a positive legacy for himself a lot more than he needs a few extra million dollars playing in the NFL's free-agent market.


So if Daniel Jones simply accepts the $38 Million that he will make if he stays with the Colts on the transition-tag that they placed on him, then kudos to him for seeing the forest for the trees ...... but if he instead chooses to go to another team for more money, then he has nobody to blame but himself if his career goes back down the toilet where it was before he came to the Colts.

o