Rich Eisen questions Daniel Jones' fit in Indianapolis as Colts start new leadership era under Jim Irsay's daughters
The Indianapolis Colts are set to kick off a new era of leadership under new owners Charlie Irsay-Gordon, Casey Foyt and Kalen Jackson. The daughters of late Colts owner Jim Irsay will respect their father's "foremost wish" and run the team in his honor.
In their first season as owners, the trio will oversee a complicated situation in the quarterback room, as Shane Steichen and his staff navigate a competition between Daniel Jones and Anthony Richardson. Indianapolis brought in Jones to compete for the starting job back in March, inking the veteran quarterback to a one-year, $14 million deal.
As the Colts gear up for training camp, where Jones and Richardson will split reps, NFL analyst Rich Eisen has raised questions regarding the former New York Giants signal-caller's fit in Indianapolis.
"If (Daniel Jones) shows up in Indianapolis and has the same issues that we saw with the Giants, number one, this would help Daboll, saying, 'See wasn't me.' It would also be one of those situations - where do they go now if Richardson turns out to be injured, what happens next?"
Eisen also raised questions about Steichen and the relatively unknown leadership of Irsay's daughters as owners of the team.
"What happens to Shane Steichen, and again, we have no idea how the daughters of Jim Irsay are going to run this franchise."
New York elected to move on from Jones after six seasons despite selecting the quarterback with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Eisen listed the Duke alum as one of the top-five quarterbacks under the most pressure entering the 2025 season.
Colts HC Shane Steichen praises Daniel Jones
Anthony Richardson continues to recover from a shoulder injury that has kept him sidelined for much of the offseason up to this point. With that, the door has opened for Daniel Jones to work his way into the starting quarterback conversation. With Richardson sidelined, Jones has been able to build rapport with the team's group of wideouts.
Coming off a strong showing in minicamp ahead of training camp next month, Daniel Jones drew praise from Colts head coach Shane Steichen.
"(I'm) very pleased with what we've got right now," he said on Thursday. "He's been doing a hell of a job. Really smart football player. Learned the offense very quickly, making really good decisions out there through OTAs. Obviously, we want to carry that over into training camp, but he's done a really great job."
Jones has a clear path to compete for the starting job against Anthony Richardson, as the third-year quarterback closes minicamp dealing with a shoulder injury. The veteran signal-caller's continuity with the receiving corps through OTAs and minicamp could be crucial as the quarterback battle roars on.