The Colts are finalizing a one-year deal with QB Daniel Jones. ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that it's expected to pay Jones $14 million. NFL Network's Tom Pelissero adds that the contract carries a $17.7 million max value
Schefter: "Jones had a chance to return to Minnesota but now becomes the challenger to the Colts' former first-round pick Anthony Richardson."
Colts GM Chris Ballard has made it clear this offseason that he wanted someone to challenge Richardson for the starting job. The reported money here backs that up. So does Jones' decision to move rather than stay with a Minnesota offense that already lost QB Sam Darnold.
Jones' decision indicates the Vikings plan to hand the starting job to 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy, assuming he's healthy. That's no surprise after they drafted him 10th overall.
Indy would probably still prefer that Richardson wins the starting job. Jones doesn't look all that formidable as a competitor, but he has started 69 NFL games across six seasons. He has completed a solid 64.1% of passes for his career to date and tossed 70 TD passes vs. 47 INTs.
Of course, Jones also played his way completely off a team that drafted him in Round 1 and then gave him a contract extension. And those Giants had only Tommy DeVito and Drew Lock as other "answers."
We'll see how this plays out through the summer.
McCarthy's a winner. We expected him to open 2025 as the starter, and Minnesota failing to re-sign either Darnold or Jones only strengthens that notion.
The losers: Colts WRs.
They'll either get a better(?) version of Richardson, who has averaged just 196.9 passing yards across his 11 full outings so far in the pros. Or Jones, whose best statistical season to date came as a 2019 rookie.
The good news: Josh Downs and Michael Pittman Jr. both carry modest best ball ADP rankings right now -- WR43 and WR48, respectively, in Underdog Fantasy drafts.
That doesn't make either guy exciting, but it limits their risk as early draft targets.
And the addition of Jones isn't likely to send them flying up ADP boards.
The fairly large one-year contract for Jones could, however, knock Richardson's ADP even lower than it already is: QB22 on Underdog.
Richardson's rushing still gives him plenty of upside, especially week to week.
He's an attractive best ball target at cost.
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