Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - COLTS SQUAD SHOW: Daniel Jones THE GUY Going Forward | A Look at Colts' Possible 2026 QB Depth Chart

Episode Date: January 8, 2026

On the first Squad Show of the 2026 offseason, the guys focus on the quarterback position, notably what was said by Carlie Irsay-Gordon and Shane Steichen about Daniel Jones' likely return as starter next season. They discuss what his contract could look like, how the backup situation behind him will shake out with Riley Leonard and Anthony Richardson (if he factors into the Colts' future plans), and conclude the show by analyzing ownership's Letter To The Fans.Find and follow Locked On Colts on your favorite podcast platforms: 🎧 https://lockedonpodcasts.com/podcasts/locked-on-colts/ 📺YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLdpxJspi1hMh5HL7ExpWOQ Give the squad a follow on X/Twitter @Schultz975, @JakeArthurNFL, @ZachHicks2, @allenpinkett, @LockedOnColts, and @ColtsOn_SI, as well on TikTok and Instagram! Locked On NFL League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Draft & More 🎧 https://lockedonpodcasts.com/podcasts/lockedoncoltsSupport Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Rocket MoneyLet Rocket Money help you reach your financial goals faster. Join at http://RocketMoney.com/LOCKEDONBetterhelpThis episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. BetterHelp makes it easy to get matched online with a qualified therapist.  Sign up and get 10% off at http://BetterHelp.com/LOCKEDON. DripDropRight now, DripDrop is offering podcast listeners 20% off your first order. Go to http://dripdrop.com and use promo code lockedonnfl.Ultimate QBUltimate QB is totally free to play, has no ads, and works 100% offline — perfect for when you want to sneak in a quick game or two on the go. Just head over to http://ULTIMATE-QB.COM. FanDuelToday's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. So before tip-off, check the FanDuel app and see what’s dropping during NBA Happy Hour — every Friday from 6 to 7:30 PM Eastern.A little basketball, a little action, and a whole lot of Friday energy.PrizePicksDownload the PrizePicks app today and use codeLOCKEDONNFL to get $50 in lineups after you play your first $5 lineup.Click Here: https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/LOCKEDONNFLGametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNFLfor $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime.ZocdocStop putting off your doctor’s appointments and get the care you need.Go to http://Zocdoc.com/lockedonnfl to find and instantly book a top-rated doctortoday.FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Welcome to the Colts Squad Show. I'm your host, Derek Shultz. And it wouldn't be a Colts off-season show if you weren't talking about quarterback, right? And I'm Zach Hicks, and I'm ready to run it back, baby. Let's run it back next year in 2026. I'm Jake Arthur. And for teams who don't have to worry about the playoffs,

it's about to be the most wonderful time of the year. I'm Alan Pinkett, former Euler. And the only way I can talk about Notre Dame is talk about Riley Leonard. Colts Nation rise up. It's the Colt Squad, everything Indianapolis Colts every week. Covering all the big hits and game-changing plays from the Circle City, the way only the locked on podcast network can.

It's time to squad up. The Colt Squad Joe starts now. Welcome to the Colts Squad Show. Today's episode brought you by Fandul. If you want to be right in the middle of the action this season, visit Fanduel.com and place your NFL bets all season long. I'm Derek Schultz, Indy Sports Talker and columnist for the Indianapolis Business Journal.

I'm joined by a Notre Dame legend and longtime NFL running back Alan Pinkett and our guys, Jake Arthur and Zach Hicks, better known as the Locked on Colts daily duo in the house as well as we jump into our first squad show of the 2026 off season. There are so many things to discuss when it comes to the Colts

and how they pick themselves up off the canvas following yet another second half season collapse and another go nowhere season. season, right, eight and nine, now for this team, been back-to-back years. But today we'll primarily focus on the quarterback position because as much as it was made about Chris Ballard and Shane Steichen being retained, I thought Carly Ursaid Gordon had some very interesting comments about Daniel Jones, essentially alluding to the fact that he's going to be here next year, like almost like it was a fait accompli that, well, of course,

you know, Daniel Jones is going to continue. So we'll talk about it. the Colts making it pretty clear that Daniel Jones is going to be their guy here moving forward and then look at the rest of the quarterback depth chart as well. Riley Leonard, Anthony Richardson, how do they mix in together? Both of those guys

are technically under contract, but obviously Leonard might be in a little bit of a different situation than Richardson is with the coaching staff coming off. I think we would all agree a successful performance in week 17 against Houston. And we'll also look at alternative quarterback options for depth, notably in the veteran free agent,

market where it's as we've mentioned before in the show it is slim pickens but we're just going to try to get all of our ground covered and all our bases covered and then we will step away from the quarterback at the very end of the show to react to ownership's letter to the fans because you know i know jake and zach have already talked about the carly ursay gordon press conference but there was also a letter that i think did a good job in clarifying some of the points that maybe carly herself couldn't in uh monday when she met with the media but guys like i said lost in the shuffle of the decision to retain Chris Bauer and Shane Stuyken, I really thought that Cardley Ursa Gordon talked about Daniel Jones, like him being part of the team next year, was a virtual guarantee. She praised him as well. There was a quote from the press conference. I think he gave a lot of the players on our team hope. It was promising what he was able to do. And, you know, I think a lot of us would agree with those things. Certainly we felt hope and promise. That was around Halloween. But certainly we felt those things at some point this year, Zach.

I don't think it's any surprise that the Colts are going to make Daniel Jones a priority. But were you, I guess, not taking it back or anything like that, but maybe interested to see how kind of clearly they spoke with finality about Jones returning in 2026. Yeah, it wasn't just Carly. It was also Shane Steichen speaking with that kind of finality about him being back. I'm sure tomorrow with Chris Ballard, he'll be a little more tact with it. But I think for the most part, he'll also kind of infer that. that they want to bring him back.

And to a degree, I understand it, one, again, he gave the team that hope. He looked like a franchise quarterback from most of his time starting this year. And also, what are your other options, you know, when it comes to a starting quarterback without a first round pick, without many guys on the open market that look competent? I just think, again, the one thing for me, the one hold up for me is I think they're really downplaying this injury. I really think they're downplaying the significance of an Achilles' injury. injury. And just to be up front about it, I won't go too long too long too much with this because

I'm not a doctor or anything like that. But when it comes to the data of an Achilles injury, we have so much data on position players and other players around the league. But when it comes to quarterback, we don't have a ton of data. It's really just four quarterbacks we look at, Dan Marino, Vinnie Testa Verdi. And then recently we have Aaron Rogers and Kirk Cousins. We know with Rogers and Cousins, it didn't look pretty about a year and a half or so after that injury. Testa Verde was back to about 80 to 90% of what he was. And Dan Marino, it's tough because he's an all-time great. He couldn't really run anymore after that, but he was so great in the pocket that it didn't really change anything because he's an all-time great quarterback.

So we don't have a ton of info when it comes to quarterbacks. That being said, if you look at the data when it comes to hitters and baseball who have a similar movement, golfers, there's a little bit on golfers and when it comes to position players, it's typically very tough for guys to come back from Achilles injuries. You lose so much of your explosion. You lose so much of that ability to push off of that foot, especially with Jones, it's going to be off the leg that he's generating the power from. And I think the Colts are kind of downplaying this a little bit. I'm not saying there's no chance of him getting back to being what he was and no chance of him being a good player next year it's just very very risky and to be kind of all for just bringing it back like being all behind

him right now and like we're going to sign him it feels like you're committing a lot of this money already to him when again there is that big question mark of that injury so i hope he's able to get back to what it is i hope he's able to give us better data on achilles injuries with quarterbacks and he's able to show that it's not that big a deal but it's a big risk for me man and uh for you to i mean now you're giving him even more bargaining power by essentially inferring in all these press conferences that he's a franchise quarterback that you want back. And it's like, well, he can take that to other teams and say, you know, look what the Colts view me as. Pay me 40 million, pay me $35 million. And I'm curious to see what he gets on the open market with the Colts and how many

years is on that with that Achilles injury. But I don't blame them because there's really no other option when it comes to getting a quarterback this all season. But I'm just saying, like, if this is like a two to three year deal or something, and things go awry next season, the Colts could be stuck with a pretty big quarterback contract when you're trying to like rebuild this thing. There is really a lot of risk in this, even though it's probably their only option at this point going forward. Yeah, I think the Colts have really kind of painted themselves into a corner on this. Yeah, Ben really wanted to give his input on the quarterback situation.

But no, I mean, everyone has been discussing this as if it's a foregone conclusion. there's there's just no way the way that like they're already kind of forecasting what their 2026 plans are based on him being the quarterback that's already how they're speaking and the way they've talked about him there's no way they can go back on it and you know both sides have leverage because of the injury and the Colts have clearly shown regardless of the injury they won him back but the whole thing comes down to price like surely Jones can't knows that they can't ask for like an ungodly amount of money, even though things went really, really well in the first part of the season. But at the same time, the Colts know

that he's still their best option, probably, even on the Achilles. Because, you know, Anthony, I think that ship is kind of sailed yes and no, but there's just no better options out there on the free agent market. You're not, you're not really going to be making trades to bring players in this offseason either. So everybody knows. especially with Shane Steichen coming back. That's kind of a stamp on it, I think, for Daniel, as well as Stuyken, you know, Stuyken it wasn't totally up to him whether or not he was staying. But if he was going to still be here, he obviously was going to want Daniel Jones to be the quarterback

so they could build off of what they had going on earlier when they were 8 and 2 before the Fibula before the Achilles. So, Zach, I kind of side with you in terms of downplaying the, injury. I know how serious that injury is, although I've never torn in Achilles, but no folks who have in the pain that they were in and how long it took them to get back, not just physically. In fact, when I talk about physically, how well is Tyrese Halliburton doing who tore his Achilles, what, last June? Is he even dribbling a ball right now? So it takes a while, but I think the biggest part of the rehabilitation

is the mental side, because when you feel that pain, if you can imagine somebody sticking a knife in your heel, and you remember what that feels like. you're going to be hesitant to try to, you know, stretch that muscle at all. And I know I've been through rehab before and you're going to go through some pain and you really have to psychologically, you know, work yourself to a point where there's going to be some pain. I'm going to deal with it.

And I'm going to just do the work and make sure it gets to 100%. You got to keep telling yourself all that kind of stuff, but you never forget that pain that you encountered when you got the injury. And that sticks with you. And I know it's going to affect the way he throws the football because he sustained the injury by throwing the ball and pushing off. So he's going to be hesitant pushing off. But, you know, I think he's a big, strong kid, and he's going to put the work in.

I just don't anticipate him starting the season, just knowing how long it takes for that thing to heal. But as you guys say, he is their best option. He ran the offense to most efficiently. You know, maybe they can run the offense the way they did when his, what was it, fibular? or tibula was was sort of broken and he just didn't run as much. But then if you do that, then you really hamstring the offense because he possesses that threat of being able to run at times. And if you take that away, it'll be just like having Philip Rivers behind there.

You know, so he is their best option. I wish him the best in his rehab. I'm hoping that the technology that we have now with his rehabilitation can put him in a spot where he comes back sooner. And I know the Colts will spare no expense at getting them back to where he needs to be, especially, you know, where did they fly to Forrest Buckner to? What island or what nation did they fly him to? Well, that's Buckner. Yeah, that's his own money there That's not even the Colts flying him out there

Yeah, Buckner's been going to that guy for a couple years now He's had some back stuff, he's had some neck stuff And yeah, like here's the thing I think he could be ready for week one next year Just because we do have, there are new ways of repairing Achilles Than what it was. It used to be a 12-month thing minimum like recovery. Now six to nine-month recovery typically is the norm

But it's the issue with Achilles is more of like What the play looks like when you're back on the field now is really the big concern and look I think I speak for all of us here like if Jones injury was anything else if it was if the fibula just broke completely in half or whatever and he was out for the year I would say cool give him a three year contract you know give him three year 40 million dollars per year he looked like a legit quarterback for the Colts even when things were struggling there like a little bit before he got before tour the Achilles I thought he still played fairly well outside of like two or three games in that stretch I think

I played really well against Houston, I think, but for all my money there. So it's really not even about his overall play. It's the fact that what you're going to have to pay him, and to kind of counter Jake a little bit here, like, yes, on one side, Jones, I don't believe Jones will be like, hey, pay me what Pat Mahomes is getting and pay me like a nine year deal or something like that. But I do think that there is a lot of leverage in a quarterback in the situation, especially too, when it's like you're coming out publicly and back. backing me. So, like, before I got hurt, you probably would have been willing to pay me

$40 million. If you're already this, this much belief in my injury and stuff like that coming back, I still want that. And I might be able to get that from a desperate team on the open market. So I'm very curious to see what the contract looks like, honestly, because what it should be like an incentive laden deal and stuff like that and hoping that he can get back to form. but you know what what really factors in the most when it comes to contracts is the demand right you're worth what someone's willing to pay you and someone out there is willing to pay him a ton of money like a very desperate team like minnesota that just missed the playoffs i don't think o'connell likes that young quarterback he has there I think that he'd be willing to go pretty high to get Daniel Jones back over there after the year that Jones just had, does that push the price up for the Colts who are backed into a corner where that's really their only guy?

So trust is an issue. Yeah, trust is definitely an issue because if I was his agent, I would be, they have a number in mind, I'm sure, but I definitely would be talking to other teams just to drive his value up. Of course. And let's face it. You know, you can't play quarterback till you're 50. You can play until you're 44, but you can't play until you're 50.

So this is his highest earning potential for the rest of his life, potentially. So you got to strike when the iron is hot. And even though he's injured, the iron is hot. And in some ways, I think the cults feel like, well, we're probably saving money. because if look at all the machinations we'd have to go through to get another quarterback of his caliber, we'd have to spend more. So they're probably thinking we can get him cheaply. But that bargaining process is going to be interesting.

The Colts are a desperate team. They're the desperate team you're talking about, honestly. They do not have the time to start anew. Like for them, they've got to get the quarterback that already knows the system and works well with Shane Steichen. So they might pay it an ungodly amount of money. Should they? I don't know.

But what are you going to do? Try for the next reclamation project, which is like Trey Lance. That's a huge roll of the dice. You're not going for Flacco again at 40 plus. Right. I will say real quick, because I know we got to move to the next segment.

I wouldn't be shocked by anything from a one-year contract at like $25 million per year with some incentives or a three-year contract. upwards of 40 plus million dollars per year like none of that would shock me so i i think this is one of the most interesting contracts out there in terms of what he could make and there's such a wide range of what could work for him that i'm fascinated to see how this goes for both sides and free agency i do think at the end of the day it's one of those situations where the colts understand and jones understand it's the best for both parties for them to keep this thing going now you're

still going to have to get the money right right uh as always it's a business but But I do think, I don't know, maybe that's me being naive. I do think at the end of the day, Jones is motivated to come back. And obviously, the Colts are very motivated to have him. What about the backup situation? Is Riley Leonard in the Catbird seat for QB2? Does Anthony Richardson have a seat at all? We're going to try to project how the Colts quarterback room will look next season

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NFL. Thanks to Zach Doc for sponsoring this message. We're back on the Lockdown Colts Squad Show. Thanks so much for making us a part of your Wednesday or I don't know, your Thursday, your Friday, maybe you're really lazy and you're not catching up until Saturday. I don't mean to call you lazy. Thanks for tuning us in at all here on Locked on Colts alongside Zach Hicks and Jake Arthur, former NFL or Alan Pinkett. My name is Derek Schultz. We're talking Colts quarterback today. And if you're, you know, kind of wondering what the offseason coverage is going to look like here. now that we are sadly out of season for the Colts.

We're going to try to find sort of like a main topic like this, like quarterback today that we're jumping into. I know it's a little bit odd with the Bowerd stuff, the Seichen stuff. You know, we saw the DeForest Buckner stuff today as well. But that's kind of how we're going to approach the Colts Squad show coming up here in the off season. So let's go from QB1, who I think we all agree,

it's going to be Jones as long as they can, you know, work out the deal. QB2 now. A couple of weeks ago, I probably still wasn't even considering. considering the thought that Riley Leonard could be in that seat. I am more open to that now, considering what he should. I thought he was really impressive in that game against Houston. I understand the second half of the game. They rested some guys and things like that.

But just the way that he threw the ball, there were some things that he did in that game that I felt like he didn't do a whole heck of a lot at Notre Dame or certainly at Duke, where he was much more limited as a thrower and more known as a weapon for being a runner and obviously as a terrific dude and a leader. and all of those things. But, you know, Leonard, unlike Richardson, started a game and also played meaningful snaps against Jacksonville when Daniel Jones went out.

So that was valuable experience, too. And Alan, I actually kind of wanted to start with you. You got the nerd name vest on and everything. So I figured, hey, why not? What do you think about Leonard as potentially, will he be ready with another full offseason under his belt in year two, you think to compete to be an NFL caliber backup and potentially a spot starter? Should it come to that if Jones's timetable is pushed back?

Well, one thing I know about Riley Leonard, you're going to get 110, 120%. He will put in the work and give you everything he's got. And, you know, when I did my Irish Squad Show podcast, we were all wondering, where the hell was that guy last year? You know, you know, it's, Derek, I think you said it best. They relied on his athleticism and running ability. He didn't really push the ball down the field that much. And it looks like he was a competent quarterback when he played against the Texans.

And although the Texans, I don't think that they took him lightly. I think that they were more concerned about shutting down the run. and if they were going to lose, they were going to let Riley Leonard have to beat them. And at this point, he probably wasn't capable. But he is a guy who he's a great leader. He is, you know, very personal with his teammates. He's good in the locker room. He's everything you want in the quarterback, God-fearing young man, you know, which always helps.

But I just know his work ethic is one where he's going to put the time in to make sure that, you know, he's ready. And I think that was evident when he played the Texans that he definitely watched all year long what Daniel Jones was doing and studied the offense, you know, because I think the best teacher sometimes is sitting on that sideline and knowing the plays. and watching the progression and how it works and then trying to go in and replicate that. You know, so I don't think he was on the sidelines chilling this year. I think he was actually watching and learning. And I think it was evident when he came in and played because, you know, some of the throws he made, you know, were I was impressed by because I didn't see that mess against when he was playing at Notre Dame.

Yeah, no, I thought he played really well in his couple appearances this year, much better than what we thought in, you know, training camp or even what we saw in film, you know, and I really like his answer when, I think one of the announcers, I want to say it was Greg Olson in that last game or J.J. Watt. I think it was Watt, actually, that last game, said that when Leonard was asked about being a six-round pick, it wasn't this, like, vendetta he was holding against a league. It was like, that was on me for not putting better film out there. You know, you kind of like that humble attitude that he brings and that workman-like ability that he brings to. Seems like a perfect backup in this league. I will.

say, I think from the Colts perspective, though, with Jones coming off the injuries, he's coming off of, with Jones's injury history as well. Like, if you go back to his time with the Giants, torn ACL, concussions, pinched nerves in his neck multiple times, some hamstring and ankle injuries as well that were pretty notable, broken shoulder in college. Like, there are a lot of injuries in Daniel Jones's background to where, like, I'm fine with Riley Leonard being your backup quarterback, but I do think the Colts should roster three quarterbacks still next year, even if Richardson's not here. And I think that third quarterback still needs to be a guy who can, who's at least played

a little bit of snaps in the NFL. Like I don't think like with QB3, it doesn't need to be, you're not going to find like a high level of QB3 in this league. That's just not a thing, obviously. But just the guy who's been around the league, who knows football, who's, who's been on the field before. I think they need to have another guy in here. Like you can't be with all my all love in the world to this guy, can't be like a Jason

Bean, QB3 where it's like this guy is an undrafted free agent of two years that hasn't played in the NFL. I think they do need a third guy who, look, if it comes down to it, you might need him too, because Leonard, we saw in his two games he played this year, hurt his knee against the Jaguars. And he was limping at times against Houston as well. I saw a couple of limps on the field from him from watching on TV. And I was like, all right, like, there's another quarterback banged up where one snap away from Seth Hennigan or whatever his name is getting in there, Hennigson. So I do think they still need to invest in quarterback, like another quarterback. It doesn't have to be, you know, a second round pick or anything, but I'm all good with Leonard being QB2

next year, just sign a veteran who has taken at least some snaps. Maybe, maybe Gardner Minchu gets released this off season or something and they can bring him back to be QB2, QB3, whatever it is. Like, I think one of those, like type of guys can make some sense to round out the robster. But I think Leonard did show enough this year, both behind the scenes and on the field, to be the guy that can be QB2 next season. Yeah, I think what Anthony Richardson showed this year and what Riley Leonard showed this year is a perfect reason. It just rolls out perfectly for the Colts. We all have kind of seen the writing on the wall with the Colts and Anthony. And I think the fact that his eye is still not 100% kind of gives them that out they may be looking for

because we know they're never going to throw anyone, let alone him, you know, quarterback they drafted top five under the bus. They've had every opportunity to do it and they will not do it. But You know, it's, you know, just greener pastures and a fresh set of scenery for Anthony, perhaps. With that said, you know, they drafted Riley Leonard, I think, with the vision of him being the long-term backup. And you see him against Jacksonville, and statistically it didn't look good. But I thought he made some plays that didn't wind up counting that looked pretty good, especially that touchdown to Pittman, where they called Pittman for OPI, I think it was. But in the two games, we've seen him extensively, what more could you want to see? They're not trying to make him the starter.

Like, he has shown perfectly good football to be the backup. And as a six-round rookie, to be able to do what he did, I mean, he wasn't lighten the world on fire, but I think he proved much more capable than most guys of his draft status would, especially his rookies. So Riley's shown more than enough to be the backup, I think. And then obviously if it's just time for a clean cut from the Anthony thing, at the very least you'll no longer have any Anthony Richards in questions internally or externally, honestly. Just see what you can get for him, set the kid on his way to a good situation for him, because that's a big thing for Chris Ballard is he's not just going to trade someone away to a crappy situation. They'll send him, if they do trade him, they'll send him somewhere where he's got an opportunity to learn.

learn or compete, at least to be a backup or something. And that's just, I think that's how this needs to end. And then obviously Riley Leonard is your new QB2, supporting Daniel Jones and whatever Jones timeline is in 2026. But like Zach said, your third quarterback, even Sam Allengar, I don't think it can be like a Sam Langer level guy, like from when Sam was here. At this point, Sam has a little bit of a cachet. But no, it needs to be someone who's thrown a handful of balls before.

not the Jason Bean type. I'm sad because I did. Josh Johnson, yeah. Josh Johnson is like the perfect example for QV3. So, yeah, just get a guy like that that's been around, has played in a game. He's maybe not even had to win the game, but it doesn't matter because he knows how to baseline run

an NFL offense. That's really all you're looking for. I like to throw something in there, though. After seeing Philip Rivers come back, you know, athleticism at quarter, is a good trait, it's not a must. Brain is the biggest muscle, I would think. And, you know, just to see how he operated,

I know that there's been this fascination in the NFL with this dual threat quarterback. Well, I mean, if that was the case, then Lamar Jackson would have won four Super Bowls already. And I guess Michael Vick would have won, too. But there's just something about, you know, getting a ball out on time, being cerebral. And I'm not trying to hint that Anthony Richardson is not cerebral.

He wouldn't be on this level and been drafted in the first round unless he had some level of, you know, smarts to play that position because it's a tough position to play. But I'm starting to see with the quarterback position now that maybe you don't need that great athlete, especially when I watch a guy like Brock Purdy and Mac Jones, I mean, they just get the ball out on time. They know where the ball is going. They can read a defense. You know, so I think Riley Leonard showed that he could do that a little bit, which I think he's earned himself a spot as a backup. And I've always said the best position in football

is backup quarterback. Make a lot of money hang around for 10. 10, 12 years, and be the most important person on the team if the starter goes down, but you're not expected to, you know, blow the world away. Just maintain. If you maintain, you keep your job. Yeah. You can't watch Brock Purdy dance and say he's not an elite athlete. He is a pretty good athlete, though.

Like, I think, athleticism is a big part of playing quarterback. It's just, yeah, it's not the end-all, be-all. And there was that trend there a couple years ago. I will push back a little bit on Lamar Jackson Allen. He is a two-time MVP, so he doesn't work for Super Bowls, but he's got two MVP. Like, it is pretty good to have that athleticism. Oh, hell, yeah, he's good.

Yeah, but, you know, there's definitely a lot more to it. But I do want to just kind of echo a lot of what Jake was saying with Richardson, where I don't think he's back next year. Like, Derek was the first one of us all on it, like, weeks ago. And I think if you would have polled me like a week or so ago, I would have been like, well, maybe because they just need bodies at quarterback. but after comments in the last couple days from Carly and Shane, and I'm sure, but we'll hear from Ballard tomorrow as well.

He's getting traded somewhere this off season. He's not going to back next year. You know what actually stuck with me was on Sunday's broadcast. They were showing Riley Leonard down on the field with Philip Rivers, and it was almost like this mentor, mentee thing. And then they show Daniel Jones up in the booth, and they're talking about how much Jones and Leonard have kind of vibe this season. and they're having this whole conversation

and it's Rivers and it's Leonard and it's Jones and Anthony Richardson's not mentioned once and I'm just thinking to myself that they've already moved on. I think Leonard's showing what he's shown here has just kind of further driven the nail into the coffin that this was it for Richardson. But if this is indeed it for AR, how will he be talked about here moving forward?

I do want to discuss that as we kind of round out our conversation on the Colts quarterback room next when the Colts Squad Show returns. This portion of the Colts Squad Show brought you by Ultimate QB. The draft position is set and teams are looking for their franchise QB. Ever wished to become a pro quarterback getting drafted in the first overall by the Colts? Well, now you can. There's a mobile game just for you called Ultimate QB, Football Legend.

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Use the promo code locked on, all caps. E-D-O-N, all caps in the game store to get a free boost at the start of your career. Again, ultimate QB, football legend, QB-1, it's your legacy. And we're back on the Lockdown Colts Squad Show. Thanks so much for joining us alongside former NFL running back and nerd name legend Alan Pinkett and the Locked-on Colts duo of Jake Arthur and Zach Hicks, your first listen every day. I'm Derek Schultz. We are your first listen twice a week here on the Cold Squad show.

We appreciate you tuning us in. Just kind of tying a bow on the Colts quarterback situation now that it appears. And maybe, you know, like Zach and Jake, you guys both alluded to when Chris Bauer speaks to the media, we'll get some more finality. You know, Bauer has usually played that stuff a little bit closer to the vests or been a little bit more soft with the language when it comes to that. I think Stuyken for a while now has spoke sort of infanality about Richardson just kind of from what he has not said more than what he has said. I mean, he's still talking about the vision about a question about Anthony Richardson's future in 2026. I think people are looking around the room, like, wait, no, like, we're talking about, like, September, Shane. We're not talking about, like, next week if he's going to be able to play.

But, but, you know, legacies and things like that, and Alan's going to roll his eyes at this because he's the former player here in the room. But this is what the guys with beards and glasses and stuff like this, the 5.4-6 guys, Alan, this is what we talk about, right? We talk about player legacies and, you know, what did you do and how will you be remembered and all of that stuff? Um, with Richardson, it's a complicated one to say the least. Um, I don't think that fans are necessarily angry with him. Like when you bring up the name Trent Richardson in Indianapolis, people get angry about it. You know what I mean? Like they, they feel like he, he didn't try or he was lazy and and, and, and he, he kind of caused his own demise. Whereas I, I think there were, certainly Anthony contributed his demise. I think we would all know that, but, um, there were other factors that just

kind of added up to things not working out here. But this is a tough question to just kind of put you on the spot, Zach. But if this is indeed the end for Anthony Richardson, how do you think we will look back on just the decision in general and his tenure here, which what do we even end up getting out of this 15 games, 16 games, whatever it was? Yeah, I mean, I think it's going to be viewed the way that most fans do miss draft picks is this bust that was terrible for their team and all these things. And that's just how it is when it comes to the NFL.

Now, in terms of this being the right move for the Colts and stuff, I mean, come back to me in 15 years is going to be the big thing because however Richardson's career ends from here, like if he goes to another team, becomes the next Sam Darnold, the next Daniel Jones, the next one of these guys where he finds success somewhere else, then the Colts look like this inept organization that couldn't develop a top talent. And that's what the legacy of him is going to be in Indianapolis. But if he goes to another area, it gets hurt a couple more times, never plays again, then his show. just going to remember it as a top five quarterback pick that didn't work out like a he schuler type or you know ryan leaf type of quarterback but that's that's kind of how just the legacy of these things go one thing i really will say though and i just want to kind of lump this into the same conversation i hate it when people with this revisionist history where we always have to find the one person to blame for an issue the one person it can never be everyone's fault

so but we always find the easy person to blame right it's very easy to blame morocco he's no longer with the Colts. We don't have to support him anymore. He's gone. We can easily pin all this on Jim Ursay because he's no longer with us. You know, I've seen that a lot from fans recently where Jim came in there and demanded they had to take Richardson. They, the general manager and the coach were not sold on Richardson. None of that's true, guys.

They all invested in Richardson, the GM, the head coach, the entire scouting department, the entire coaching. So don't let all of them off the hook for this because Jim's an easy person to blame here because he's no longer with us. Chris Ballard has to own the miss of Anthony Richardson. Shane Stuyken has to own the miss of Anthony Richardson. It's on all of them. It's not just on the guy who's no longer here anymore. And that's the one thing I want to push back on when it comes to like remembering this miss with the Colts is let's not put it all on Jim. Come on. It like there, it takes more than just Jim or say in his final couple years. Like how how much do we really think he was involved in that? I don't think he was guys. He was dealing with a lot of health things.

these last couple years. It's on all of them in this organization. They, even if the thing was pushed down like, hey, you have to take a quarterback. If they didn't want Richardson, they could have done something else

to take another quarterback. They clearly liked Richardson. It didn't work out. And they're going to pivot and move on. That's easy. That's fine. That's easy to accept. We don't have to blame just one other person

that's not here anymore because we have to support our organization. Zach, you're trying to hold Chris Bauer accountable? How dare you? How dare you? How dare you, sir? But yeah,

I just, I just hate letting people, like, it's everyone, right? It's like, yeah, even Carly Ursa, if you want to blame her as well, like, that's fine. She was with the organization when it happened. It doesn't just go to one person and then it disperses and it's done. It's everybody in the organization when a miss like that happens to that caliber and they have to own it and move on. And that's the big part of this team going forward. Yeah, so Jim didn't really mandate Anthony. He just said they needed a quarterback because the carousel had to stop and they had to get their guy.

and really Morocco Brown and Shane were the champions of Anthony. And then Chris often rolls with what the head coach wants when the quarterback department. Not that Chris didn't have an affinity for Anthony, too, but like we've seen a very long history of quarterbacks being tied to the head coach in Indianapolis. And, you know, there obviously were bumps in the road with developing him in the first place. But I think we also just have to look at the truth of the. matter is like franchise quarterbacks are wired a certain way and it just doesn't seem like Anthony necessarily had that yet. You know, whether he will develop it at some point, he might,

but the moment was too big too early on and he probably needed a couple years to develop. And that's just a couple years the Colts didn't have. So they forced the issue. And so, yeah, it is definitely not a one person blame thing. Like Anthony wasn't ready. I think he sold himself higher and as probably a more mature person than he was at the time. They drafted the youngest player in the NFL or the youngest QB to ever be drafted, ever, whatever it was. And that's exactly what he was maturity-wise coming into the NFL. Coming from Florida, he didn't have that blueprint handed to him of here's how you be

a high-level quarterback. Here's how you prepare and everything. So, like, he came into the NFL ill-prepared from Florida because no one there showed him. and I think his habits probably trailed off a little bit after he was a rookie and he got hurt. Because when he was a rookie and he got there, he was obsessive about working about everything. If you guys remember, you know, Pitman, Stike, and Jim Bob Cooter, all those guys are like, yeah, he's blowing at my phone night and day all the time asking about this, this, this. And then something changed along the lines and that's on Anthony. but yeah it's it's just an organizational failure and obviously the word bust is like the most

common thing that comes out about all of it i i try not to call players busts who injuries are like the biggest story with them uh because he may never have looked the part of a franchise quarterback but that didn't mean he wouldn't be like a serviceable player if that makes sense there's plenty of guys who go on to like quidipay for example not not the type of guy who was worth 20th or 21st overall now that we look back at it but it's been a solid starter in his career so i don't think the book is done on anthony in the NFL i think it probably is with the colts uh but there's still hope for him to like make something of his career i just don't think he's going to be that cam newton lamar jackson level player that everyone hoped that he would be eventually

well the position in the first round that busts more than any other position is quarterback and part of it is due to the high expectations and so many things have to be in place for that quarterback to be successful including the quarterback's personality the quarterback's work ethic, the quarterback's demeanor. And, you know, I look at the quarterbacks that have been successful. The entire organization has gotten behind that quarterback. I remember when I was in Green Bay, and I was up there the first year that, of course, I tell people I was in Green Bay for coffee because I was just there for training camp. But you could see the amount of the support that they were giving Brett Favre, I mean, down to the janitor.

Everybody got behind that guy because they knew that the success of the organization hinged on that quarterback, hinged on Brett Farr. And I guess I see that with a lot of organizations, but I see more guys bust in the first round, and it makes me think, you know, these guys, what the hell were you all looking at? y'all couldn't see that coming you know but look there's there's no denying the the freakish athletic ability this guy has and i mean he could probably throw a ball 150 yards uh on a rope i don't know he but there's so much more that goes into being quarterback and now that you said that he was the youngest ever quarterback drafted, that's a damn red flag right there.

You know, so Colts, what were you thinking about? You know, because, you know, with age comes some maturity and some wisdom. And I look at some of the recent first round quarterbacks. And they're not necessarily the most mature folks in the world. and nor should they be. But it's just you expect more out of your quarterback. And, you know, that franchise quarterback thing is just, it's hard to find it. And that's why they bust so much because there's only a handful of them out there.

Yeah, it wasn't even just the youth. I mean, the fact that he had, what, 12 starts at Florida. And if I'm not mistaken, Jake, I don't think he was a high school quarterback until, like, his final year. Is that right? So I mean, we're talking about a guy that had like 20 something starts. Not only the fact that he was young is just the experience was just not there at all. I mean, it was, but, but again, you know, hindsight is 2020 with this stuff, right? Because you take a big swing. Josh Allen was a big swing. I mean, he really was. Like, I know it is aged tremendously well and he's going to be a Hall of Fame player and probably

eventually like a Super Bowl winning quarterback and all that. But, you know, that was a big swing. you know, what they say, swing big, miss big. And, you know, if you're trying to hit a bunch single at quarterback, then a lot of times you're going to end up getting a bunch single level player. Yeah. And honestly, the beauty of swinging like that, I guess, is it's easy to pivot after you miss, right? Because if you swing and miss on a Bryce Young, I know he's in the playoffs right now, but like, come on, we think that's a Super Bowl winning quarterback in this league.

Probably not, but they might have to pay him here soon. And just because he got them in the playoffs at 8 and 9 this season, having averaging 190 yards passing per game, they might be stuck with him for the next 5, 6, 7 years. And they're going to win as many Super Bowls as the Colts in that span. You know, like not betting. But at least the Colts were able to pivot quickly off it. It's like, hey, we had Richardson here for a couple years.

It wasn't working out. We swung big for the fences. We missed it. And now we're on Daniel Jones. Like, honestly, I wish teams would do that more often with quarterbacks of, again, the Bryce Young caliber and some of these other calibers that we see out there. But because guys have like an adequate floor, they stick on these guys for way too long. At least with Richardson, the Colts were able to see like, hey, we don't have it here.

Let's go into our next guy here. So to a degree that was one of the benefits, I guess, of swinging and missing on a player like Richardson where it was either going to be great or it was going to be horrible. It ended up being pretty horrible. Now we're on to our next guy. And honestly, it's a lot easier to make that step than, again. again, I don't, I don't hate Bryce Young, but like, come on, let's be honest here. He's not a top 20 quarterback in the NFL and he's not going to be for a while, like, or

Kyler Murray, another guy who's stuck there in Arizona, like, you're not winning anything with Kyler Murray, you know, like the Colter, at least avoiding that, which is the absolute worst place you could be. But one thing you- Four quarterbacks at the beginning, C.J. Stroud is the only one there aren't massive questions about. So, yeah, almost everyone's struck out there. Yeah. yeah well and and you are right about one thing uh management a lot of times give these first round

quarterbacks and you know positions where they pay a lot of money they got a lot longer leash they can do a bunch of screwing up because it's their reputation on the line too to be able to prove to people that i made the right damn pick you know uh this is my guy and Yeah, he's supposed to struggle a little bit, but he's going to come out on the back end being fine. But I credit the Colts for seeing that, okay, this one didn't work out, let's move on. And that's what you've got to do. You just got to quickly move on and go to the next one. Yeah, I mean.

Really quick before we get to the last segment. Anyone trying to absolve Chris Ballard is not liking Anthony Richardson and not having him as QB1 in that class, look at every position Ballard's ever drafted, and then look at what Richardson was and tell me that wasn't a Chris Ballard draft pick come on the most athletic quarterback ever he's not come on let's do some common sense with rich with uh with Chris Ballard and Richardson he was all in just like Morocco Brown was just like Shane Steichen was it it just it's easy to pivot away from that he's so good at hiding the faults just like Frank Reich was to blame for for Carson Wentz you know he's the one who traded the first round pick for Carson Wentz but you know sorry

I just had to get that in there it's just a shame Zach You have all these bad actors that are getting into Chris's year, Frank Reich with Wentz, like you said. And it's just, it's a shame. I just, I feel bad for poor Chris getting talked into all these bad deals. When we come back here on the squad show, the Ursaid Daughters penned a letter to fans in the wake of Monday's press conference and we'll give our takes on it when we wrap up the show next when we return.

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baby Ben, hello Ben, Zach Hicks and Derek Schultz with you as we wrap up this Wednesday edition of the show. So we talked a lot about the quarterback tonight. Let's kind of get back to what's been the big news of the week and that's ownership meeting with with the media and i credit carly ursay gordon she doesn't have to do that and she did even though i think a lot of people and a lot of fans had some trouble following all of the logic and she is um in both a good and a bad way she's far less verbose than her late father was when it came to answering questions i did like the fact that she asked and jake you were in the room i like the fact that if somebody asked her a question and she was like okay i want to make sure that i get what you're asking me right

She asked them to clarify. She did that multiple times. And I actually like when people do that because sometimes people just take the question and they just, you know, kind of say whatever they think the reporter's asking. The reporter's like, well, no, no, no, I wanted to ask this instead. And I like that she did that. But, you know, the letter allowed them to just kind of lay everything all out. And this sort of stuck with me as the takeaway.

And I think we knew this from the press conference as well. But I'm just going to read right here from the letter. There were many moments in 2025 that led us to believe we can achieve sustained success. That's why we're confident about the blueprint Chris Bowen and Shane Stuyck and created last year. And while we're confident, they can build on the progress we saw early on this past season. Last year, this past season. I mean, I don't think it's rocket science to say that Zach, Carly Ursa Gordon, was only looking at last year for the evaluation. And to me, even though I am willing to give Carly and the daughters the benefit of the doubt,

I find that to be just a very narrow way to look at, just to ignore someone's entire body of work when I'm talking, when I'm trying to say, I trust these person or I trust these people, I just don't know how you do that if you're in her shoes. You don't have to make it the only thing or the feature thing, but to not make it a thing at all, I thought really surprised me. Yeah, I thought that was the most frustrating part. And also when she mentioned about having like a great draft class full of contributors or something, I think in the letter. And I was like, what, one contributor? Like one, Tyler Warren. And then we got like a month of Jalen Travis when the Colts were essentially out of the playoffs. That was our whole draft class, like half the draft class.

was injured and the other half was not good. Like Tyler Warren was great. Don't get me wrong. But I didn't think those were kind of funny in there too. But yeah, like I appreciate her going out there and communicating. And we don't see this across the league with that many, or with that many owners. A lot of owners are very hands off and don't care about their teams.

Like that's why they own like 10 different teams because they don't care about any of them. They're just ways to make business. So she was really good, I think, at just getting out there and communicating. But again, you weren't going to say anything right here. because you made the decision that nobody wanted. And to the disagreement of us and most people, like, looking at just the one year, in a one year that didn't even go that well, like it started well.

But like, I think someone had a really good analogy for me when they were complaining about it on social media was like, it's like if you have like straight A's up until the midterm and you don't show up the class the last half of the year and you get like a C in the class, you're not going to say it was a great year. Like, oh, there was elements of a good student there. Don't get, you know, we saw some. We saw some potential for your studying habits there. It's like, no, you have to go the whole year and work through it.

So, yeah, like, look, she can't come out and say it, but I do think part of this is just, you know, she's still getting her bearings as an owner. There's still a lot of things behind the scenes with money-wise. Ballard's contract ends after 2026. Like, there is a lot easier of a break happening after 2026. And I think she was trying to say without explicitly saying it that this is like a make-a-break season for them but again there were so many outs and everything she said that a fan base that's already just at the at everyone's throat and wanted everybody fired and everyone gone that like if

you're not going to outrightly say like make the playoffs or else you weren't going to say the right thing so i appreciate what they're trying to do here again there's a lot of hands-off owners in this league and i mean there are some owners that are a little two hands on but um yeah there's just going to be frustration involved with and that letter didn't really clear anything up because again it just leads to that, like, why are we looking at one year of this guy in year nine? Like, we have all these data points. We don't like one year where only half of it was good is probably not the best data point to look at with Chris Ballard. But we'll see.

I think at the end of the day, it's just actions speak louder than words. And we'll see this time next year. If we're getting the same things, the same actions and the same words, then we know that a lot of it, like the sense of urgency thing was kind of BS. So this is something that just in the future, we'll just have to see where it goes from here. It's only her first time running a team. So this is the only data point we have on her right now. It's not like we have nine years of data points on her compared to somebody else. You know, it's only the first time we have her as an owner.

So we'll have to see where it goes from here with her time running the colds. Yeah, I think the verbiage both in the press conference and the letter, mostly the press conference, was a lot of protection. of full answers, if that makes sense, like trying to give an answer, but while being as vague as possible, essentially, when I read the letter and, you know, give the context of the press conference and everything, what I kind of take away from it is there were probably, I don't know if mandates, but there were expectations, firm expectations handed down from ownership to Shane and Chris heading into last off-season. And I'm going to go ahead and guess that Chris and Shane

showed a lot of positive trends towards those areas early in the year, especially Chris. It sounded like they really wanted him to be more aggressive. And he finally was. And honestly, this year I don't stupor pin on Chris because it's like how much more could he have done because he did a lot of big, significant things. A lot of those guys just got injured and it screwed a lot of things up.

Don't let him off the hook for linebacker, Jake. I know you're seething about that. You know me with linebacker. But honestly, look at everything he did this offseason. It sucks that he finally was aggressive and it just didn't work out. And then with Shane, you know, they hired him to be this offensive genius. And then for a while, he had a historic offense. And it all just came off the rail.

So I understand why they are not quite willing to let that go. But that's, again, if you're just going off of the first half of the year or this year in general and not the last eight, nine years. You know what I mean? And that's just kind of how I took it. Well, I admire the fact that she would even come and do a press conference and send out a letter because she doesn't know anybody a damn thing. She's the owner. And I remember when I was with the Oilers, only tell them I saw Bud Adams was on draft day because they were talking about the first round draft pick or the second round draft pick, whatever, something like that. So she really didn't have to do it.

But the fact is all she can go by is one year because that's how long she's been on the job. And I think it makes sense to her to stick with what she's got because who does she know around the league? She can't pick up the phone and call anybody. You know, somebody's owners, they've already, you know, built a rapport where, hey, I'm looking for a new strength coach. Give me some ideas. Who the hell is she going to call and ask for something like that? She doesn't know anybody yet. I know her dad, you know, probably let her in on some of the insights of the team.

But until you run that thing, it's a totally different deal. You know, so she did see enough good. And, you know, it was good in the first part of the year. And I will admit that I haven't been here long enough to deal with the things that you have dealt with. I'll say this, and you've heard me say it before, the model that makes the most profit in the NFL is a team that goes 8, 9, 9, and 8, where you have the fan interest, they fill up the stadium, all right? But then they don't make the playoffs so they don't have to bear the expense of, you know, going through the playoffs. That is the model that works in the NFL. You know, and I doubt anyone would come out and say that.

And it sucks if you're a fan, if that's what ownership wants to do. But I kind of felt her pain when she would say, well, I'm pissed too. You know, she said it more than once. I'm pissed too. I hear the fans, you know. But I think she just needs some time on the job before she goes out. and makes a bold decision like tearing it all down and building it back up when she doesn't know anybody.

Yeah. I will say she's not going to have my ire when it comes to this until if next season if this is the exact same thing she says, but she brings them both back again when they go eight and nine, then I'm going to start taking like, I'm going to start believing in her less, you know, but for me right now, I'm frustrated with bringing Ballard back for sure. But again, she's not my enemy right now, you know, my enemy is the guy who's been in for nine. years and has struggled. And the reason why they couldn't win with injuries at quarterback is because of the roster he's built over the last four or five years. That's more of where my anger

is at right now. It's not really at the owner who, again, it's our first year on this. She's saying the urgency is up and she's basically implying next year's a must-win season. So if they miss the playoffs again and she fires them, then I believe what she told us this offseason. But time will tell with how these comments age from what she said. But I don't know what can really change when it comes to like me and ballard that's just that's just nine years of pent up stuff right there but with with with carly it's it's one year right now so i'm giving her the benefit of a doubt more so than uh the nine year guy getting the benefit of the doubt no that ship's probably sailed with chris i was going to say with carly though like she she has been taking on a lot of

owner duties over the last several years she essentially had to be the owner when that period when when when jim was on suspension and she's attended like owners meetings and everything and like she she does have some connection she doesn't she hasn't been like in the captain's chair that whole time uh obviously necessarily but i don't know i think the bigger thing is not wanting to make a big mistake what because at the end of the day like if you are going to fire someone you have to have someone better and more appealing to replace them with and if you don't be a clear option there and there was enough that you liked with what you have, I think that may not be worth the pressure and potential fallout of making

some big fat move, although I think it would have appeased all the fans, at least temporarily, to get something different going in there. But yeah, it's a tough situation. If you're her, I understand where she's coming from. It is definitely not the most popular move. I get why they made that decision. and I don't necessarily agree with it, but I do understand. I get it too, but I think what she and her sisters are going to have to guard against

is you can't let there be this feeling of comfortability with mediocrity in that building. And there's just from the players to the coaching staff to the front office, words are just words. I'm pissed. Mandate, must win. It's just words. It doesn't mean anything unless there's action. So if there's no threat of a real consequence, and if you're not really going to hold anybody accountable, then that's going to be a problem.

So we'll see. That's all I would ask for is consequences and accountability. I'm tired of words. I want results. At this point, I don't even care about the context. I don't care about injuries. I don't care about excuses. I'm done.

Win or everybody's got to go. That's it. And let's just go ahead and approach 2026 like this. So we're not having this exact same show in January of 2027 because we had this show, essentially, if we would have had a show, we'd be saying the same things a year ago today, right? And they still went eight and nine and them's to the playoffs. You know, Crimeo River about injuries and all that. It's the NFL. Them's the breaks. And here we are. And we're having the same conversation. So, sorry, not trying to get too frustrated like that. That's where I am with this. Thanks so much for tuning us in here on the Colts squad

show. We will be back with you on Sunday. Sadly, we won't have a game to recap, but we'll be keeping our eye on, obviously, the wild card games and things like that. And we'll talk more about the Colts entering this very interesting offseason. Until then, you can follow Zach and Jake and listen to them every day on Lockdown Colts. Be sure to follow at Lockdown Colts on socials and check out our other great content on YouTube and TikTok and we'll see you next time right here on The Squad Show.