The Indianapolis Colts and head coach Shane Steichen will frame this like it's equal.
He announced Tuesday that Anthony Richardson will start the Colts' first preseason game and play the majority of the first half before flip-flopping with Daniel Jones in their second preseason game.
But here's what the Colts aren't saying out loud: First impressions matter.
And guess who gets to make the first first impression of the 2025 preseason? Richardson.
He might blow his chance, of course, so this isn't a job-deciding choice by Steichen.
But there's also a scenario where Richardson goes out and plays a brilliant first three or four series in the preseason opener and looks so good that it's hard to imagine giving the Week 1 gig to anyone else.
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Richardson has the talent to dazzle. He throws an incredible deep ball, and he's a great runner with the football.
Accuracy and injuries are his two main flaws, both not ideal. He completed just 47% of his passes in 2024, an abhorrent number.
But if he's improved on that front at all, and if he makes a few impressive big plays to start the preseason, it'll feel like Richardson has a leg up on Jones from the outset.
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The Colts see these guys everyday, so they have a larger data sample than anyone that just tunes into the preseason contests. But still, this choice says something. The Colts want Richardson to win the job. He's their own former No. 4 overall pick. He's immensely gifted physically. It'd be a win for Indianapolis if Richardson proves he can be the QB1 going forward.
So sure, the Colts are playing this fairly. But one guy had to go first, and that guy will be Richardson. He'll get an important chance to make a career-defining first impression.
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