The Indianapolis Colts have had a different leading passer for the past seven seasons. By the way they’re trending after naming Daniel Jones the starting quarterback, it’s trending toward the Colts having a new leading passer for the eighth-straight season.
While Anthony Richardson remains on the roster, even head coach Shane Steichen admitted that it’s “hard to say” whether the former first-round pick has a future on the Colts. In other words, the team’s ideal hand-picked franchise quarterback is no longer in the team’s long-term plans, barring a shocking development.
With so much instability at the quarterback position, some members of the team, like franchise cornerstone and three-time All-Pro offensive guard Quenton Nelson, are admitting frustration.
“I would say so. I think I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t [frustrating]. You look around the league and see just the consistency of having a Patrick Mahomes or a quarterback behind you that’s been the franchise player for years and years and years, and getting to build that chemistry with that quarterback year after year is something that there is an advantage to when it comes to O-line play. So, to answer your question, yeah.”
Quenton Nelson on Colts’ QB situation (from The Athletic)
Nelson is a 29-year-old veteran who’s going on his eighth NFL season, all spent with the Colts. But he’s only ever played on two playoff teams, participating in a total of three postseason games. Both times the Colts made the playoffs, they were led by veteran quarterbacks in Andrew Luck and Philip Rivers.
Can Danny Dimes Indiana Jones be the next vet QB to help the Colts accomplish their goals? If not, they could lose the locker room, with players like Nelson seemingly ready to tune out if things don’t improve soon.
The Colts already saw two valued offensive linemen, Ryan Kelly and Will Fries, depart for the Minnesota Vikings this offseason. If those two report that the grass really is greener on the other side, perhaps Nelson will think twice about staying with the Colts past his current contract, which expires after the 2026 season.
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Sports fan since birth. I am also passionate about cars, music, and anything funny. Minnesotan, born and raised. Maybe ... More about Andrew Buller-Russ