The Indianapolis Colts may be entering the quarterback market yet again for 2026. While the 2025 season has yet to conclude, Philip Rivers is currently leading the charge, Daniel Jones is recovering from a season-ending torn Achilles and the Colts’ long-term answer at signal caller could be put back into question.
The Colts have been searching for their quarterback of the future since Andrew Luck’s surprise retirement. Based on a recap from Nick Wojton of Yahoo Sports, since 2019, the Colts have cycled through 10 different starters prior to Jones’ inclusion in 2025.
GettyDaniel Jones will miss the remainder of the 2025 NFL season following a torn right achilles.
In a year in which the Colts started 7-1 and Daniel Jones was posting career highs in passing yards per game (238.5) and passer rating (100.2) , he seemed to finally be Indy’s answer. However following the achilles injury and then surgery, Adam Schefter reported that, “a training camp return would be an aggressive timeline for Jones, but the Colts think it’s possible.”
Daniel Jones is set to become a free agent in 2026 following him playing through his one-year $14 million contract with Indy. Coming off a major injury, the second significant leg injury of his career, it is a reasonable question about whether the Colts would be willing to commit to Jones long-term. Adam Schefter reported , “the Colts could opt to use the franchise tag on Jones, which is expected to come in around $45 million to $46 million this offseason, according to league sources.”
The Colts have several other key players set to hit free agency next season and with approximately $47.6 Million in cap space for 2026, Indy will have a very important decision to make as the offseason rolls around. According to Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports , “I don’t see it as a slam dunk that Jones is back with Indy next year.”
QB Anthony Richardson Sr. Returns to Colts Practice
GettyIndianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson Sr. has not started a game since 2024.
Stephen Holder of ESPN reported on December 18 that “Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson Sr. returned to practice Thursday, two months after a scary pregame incident endangered his right eye and left him with a fractured orbital bone.”
The former No. 4 overall pick was onced viewed as a potential solution to their revolving door atop the franchise. However Indy has been hesitant to turn back to Richardson Sr. following a mixed two years in which he has dealt with accuracy, injury, and maturity issues.
This hesitancy has been reinforced with the team’s initial announcment of Jones as the starter for the season and then most recently as Philip Rivers has been announced as the teams starter ahead of their Week 16 matchup against the San Francisco 49ers .
The team still could turn back to Richardson Sr. to finish the 2025 season, however his ultimate future beyond this year is still very much in question.
Tua Tagovailoa Emerging as a Potential QB Option for Colts 2026?
With Indianapolis potentially mulling over Jones’ availability for the entirety or at least start of the 2026 season, Tua Tagoavailoa could be a name to watch moving forward.
Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel announced that Tua Tagovailoa will be benched following the team’s elimination from the playoffs during a Week 15 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on December 15.
This announcement leaves Tagovailoa’s future with the Dolphins in doubt and raises questions about his future in the NFL.
Given the current uncertainty around Jones’ health and the Colts lack of draft capital due to their trade for cornerback Sauce Gardner , which cost them two first-round picks, Tagovailoa could become a potentially cheap option to lean on. This potential deal only makes sense if the Dolphins do indeed release Tagovailoa. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk stated that releasing Tagovailoa “would trigger a $99.2 million cap charge to be split over two years, with $55.4 million applying to 2026 and $43.8 million landing in 2027.”
This would effectively place Tagoavailoa in a very similar situation to what Daniel Jones was in after his time with the New York Giants . And seeing how that worked out for Indianapolis, the Colts could choose to ‘run it back’ in a sense with another potentially outcast quarterback.
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