Fate isn’t necessarily good or bad. It’s a word that goes both ways, but what the Indianapolis Colts did in 2023 sealed theirs for the foreseeable future and unfortunately, it isn’t the good kind of fate. Selecting Anthony Richardson fourth overall is shaping the future in ways unknown. It could all work out in the end and be a ripple effect decision that was ideal for this franchise. It could be. The present and immediate future, however, looks like one that the Colts might live to regret.
When it was the Colts’ turn to draft, Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud were already off the board. They could have easily selected Will Levis, and while it is preferable to have burned it down with Richardson vs Levis, the house is still on fire. Rumors continue to swirl that the Vikings were offering four first-round picks for Richardson. If that was true or anywhere near the truth, hindsight says take the picks. There would have been a mini revolt over not selecting Richardson at that time, but those additional picks could have helped shaped and filled out a much more competitive roster.
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Daniel Jones is the quarterback now, and his story isn’t written yet. The failed Richardson selection has forced the Colts down this path. A masterful first half of the season followed by a cliff and a major injury is where it all stands now. The jury is still out regarding what the Colts truly have, but they are paying Jones like one of the best. If this doesn’t work out over the next year or two, it will be back to the drawing board. Maybe the Colts go on to bottom out after Jones, draft their franchise quarterback, and raise the Lombardi. On the other hand, it could create another decade of quarterback purgatory as this failed decision alone has set the franchise back.
No crystal ball to be had. Some of the seemingly worst and most brain-scratching moves can turn out to be the best; things one never sees coming. Those moments do occur, but as sports fans, patterns emerge and become evident of the final outcome. The hopes and prayers are that Daniel Jones becomes the guy where Anthony Richardson couldn’t. Doubt that or not, the Richardson experiment blew up in incredible fashion and has set the Colts down a new path. Whatever that path holds, we will have to wait and see what fate has in store.
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