Colts' $6,600,000 WR gets candid about Daniel Jones and Anthony Richardson's QB battle
The Indianapolis Colts signed quarterback Daniel Jones through free agency earlier this offseason, and he is now expected to battle it out with third-year quarterback Anthony Richardson for the starting position in 2025.
Jones, who struggled with the New York Giants, will try to turn his career around at Indianapolis. However, to outperform the talented Richardson, who has also been inconsistent since joining the league in 2023, he will need to improve his performances from the past two seasons.
While it's still not clear who will be the starting quarterback for the Colts when the 2025 season starts, wide receiver Alec Pierce, who is on a four-year, $6,601,342 contract, provided his thoughts on the team's quarterback situation during an interview with coaches and players.
“Basically just be there for both of them," Pierce said on Thursday (h/t Sports Illustrated). "Kind of communicate with both of them, treat them both like the starting quarterback and just ask what they need from me – if they want to get extra balls or whatever because it is going to be like, with them just splitting reps or whatever we're just going to get less reps with each other. So, like, anything they need extra from me, I just let them know I'm there for them.”
Pierce had a stellar season in 2024, catching passes from Joe Flacco and Richardson.
Jim Bob Cooter, the Colts offensive coordinator, also discussed the competition between Richardson and Jones for the QB1 role.
“Those guys are, I think, eager to compete. Competition makes us all better,” Cooter said.
As Indianapolis is preparing to make a run at the playoffs, something they haven't done since 2020, Pierce will aim to have an improved season in 2025 than he did the year before. In 2024, he led the NFL in yards per reception (22.3) while recording 824 receiving yards and seven touchdowns.
A look at Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones' career numbers
A No. 6 pick in 2019, Daniel Jones, now 27, played 70 games (69 starts) in five and a half seasons in New York. He completed 64.1% of his passes for 14,582 yards, 70 touchdowns and 47 interceptions. He has rushed for 2,179 yards and 15 touchdowns.
In 2022, Jones had his best season in the league, completing 67.2% of his throws and averaging 200.3 yards per game. In addition, he threw for 15 touchdowns and five interceptions and ran for seven touchdowns and 708 yards. The Giants earned a postseason berth thanks to Jones' efforts that season.
Anthony Richardson has only appeared in 15 games for the Colts in his first two seasons in the NFL after being picked as the No. 4 pick in 2023.
A serious injury limited Richardson to only four games in 2023, but his performances in those games appear to be even better than last year, when he recorded 11 appearances.
Richardson completed 59.5% of his pass attempts for three touchdowns and one interception in four games in his rookie season. He also added 136 yards and four touchdowns on the ground.
The former Florida Gators quarterback's completion rate fell to 47.7% in 2024. In 11 games, he also amassed 1,814 yards, eight touchdowns and 12 interceptions. His passer rating of 87.3 in 2023 also dropped to 61.6.