Pat McAfee is fired up for the Daniel Jones era in Indianapolis.
The ESPN personality and former Colts punter raved about the ex-Giants quarterback after he signed a one-year deal worth $14 million with his old club.
“For me, Danny Dimes, sure he’s thrown some pick-sixes,” McAfee said on his show Tuesday. “Sure, he’s looked terrible at times. But he doesn’t have a 47.7 completion percentage. I ᴀssume he shows up on time to everything. I ᴀssume he’s a guy that will be like, ‘Yeah, I’m an NFL quarterback. I’m gonna be a professional.’
“So nonetheless, it’ll be good for [Anthony Richardson] to either see it or it will be good for a 27-year-old to get paid $14 million as a starting quarterback in the NFL.”
Jones, who chose the Colts instead of returning to the Vikings, with whom he spent the last month and a half of last season after being released by the Giants in November, is expected to compete with Richardson to start Week 1.
Richardson, the No. 4 pick in the 2023 draft, has disappointed during two NFL seasons, throwing 13 interceptions with just 11 touchdowns through the air while missing 19 games due to various injuries.
During a Week 8 game against the divisional rival Texans, Richardson pulled himself out of the game, citing fatigue, leading some to question the young signal-caller’s commitment.
Richardson was benched the following two weeks in favor of veteran Joe Flacco.
During the segment Tuesdat, McAfee appeared open to the idea of the Colts trading their once-franchise quarterback.
“I think if you’re one of the other 31 teams, remember what you thought about Anthony Richardson,” he said. “A lot of upside. Guy’s got a ton of potential. Maybe he does ask for a trade. Maybe a fresh new start somewhere else is what Anthony Richardson needs.”
Jones is looking to re-establish himself as a starting quarterback in the league.
He was the Giants’ starter for each of the last six seasons after being drafted No. 6 overall in 2019 until his abrupt departure last fall.
The Duke product went 24-44-1 as a starter but does have a playoff victory under his belt.
Late last month, Colts general manager Chris Ballard indicated that the franchise would bring in another quarterback to give Richardson some “real compeтιтion.”
“It’s got to be the right guy to create real compeтιтion. But we want to create real compeтιтion,” Ballard said during a press conference at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine. “I think it’s good for the team.
“I think it’s good for Anthony.”
