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After an intense competition that stretched deep into training camp, the Indianapolis Colts are naming Daniel Jones their starting quarterback for Week 1 against the Miami Dolphins, the team announced on Tuesday. Jones won the starting job over former first-round pick Anthony Richardson Sr.

Jones, 28, signed a one-year, $14 million deal with the Colts earlier this offseason after splitting time with the New York Giants and Minnesota Vikings last season. Jones was benched midway through the season in favor of Tommy DeVito and requested to be released shortly after. He signed with Minnesota for the remainder of last season before joining the Colts.

The former No. 6 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, out of Duke, has had an up-and-down career. He has thrown for 14,582 yards and 70 touchdowns across his first six seasons in the league. Jones' best season came in 2022, when he threw for a career-high 3,205 yards and led New York to the playoffs. He was rewarded with a four-year, $160 million deal shortly after. 

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As for Richardson, the former No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft out of Florida, he faced true competition for the starting job in training camp for the first time in his young career. Richardson was named Indianapolis' starting quarterback following his first preseason game as a rookie back in 2023, but winning the starting job heading into Year 3 of his career wasn't a sure thing.

During the first two seasons of his NFL career, Richardson has only appeared in 15 games. He appeared in just four games during his rookie campaign and finished with 577 yards passing and three touchdowns after undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery. Richardson appeared in 11 games last season and dealt with various back, foot and hip injuries that cut his second season short.

Richardson, when healthy, has shown flashes of living up to his high draft billing. Richardson's mix of arm strength and rushing ability (635 yards and 10 touchdowns) gives the Colts a different look than Jones. However, the biggest issue Richardson has struggled with during his career is accuracy, as he's completed just 50.5% of his passing attempts.

The Colts enter the 2025 campaign with the third-best (3-1) odds to win the AFC South behind the Houston Texans and the Jacksonville Jaguars, per FanDuel. Indianapolis has the ninth-best odds (+172) of reaching the playoffs among the AFC teams.