The Indianapolis Colts have chosen continuity at quarterback even as the results continue to slide.
After a 16-10 loss to the Minnesota Vikings dropped them to 2-5, head coach Shane Steichen announced on Monday that Daniel Jones will remain the starter.
Steichen said he has not considered a change and expressed strong confidence in the former New York Giants quarterback, noting that the game plan against Minnesota centered on the run and that an interception late in the contest is simply part of football.
He added that Jones knows he must play better, pointing to the level the quarterback reached in 2025 as evidence that improvement is possible, even if it is taking longer than hoped.
Jones’ recent stretch has been uneven. Over his last four games he completed roughly 55 percent of his passes for 787 yards with one touchdown, four interceptions, and a lost fumble while absorbing 13 sacks.
Through seven weeks he sits among the league’s least efficient passers, with more interceptions than touchdowns and a passer rating that ranks near the bottom of qualifying quarterbacks.
The Colts’ offense as a whole ranks near the bottom of the league in total yards, and the team has lost three straight.
The decision arrives against a complicated backdrop.
Jones signed a two-year deal worth roughly $88 million this offseason after a promising 2025 campaign that saw the Colts start 8-2 before injuries—a fractured fibula and a torn Achilles—cut his season short. General manager Chris Ballard, who had prioritized re-signing him, was fired earlier this month after a loss to the Titans.
Jones has acknowledged the responsibility that comes with the position, saying it is his job to put the team in position to win and that he must go back to work to improve.
Steichen’s public support keeps him under center for now, with Anthony Richardson remaining the primary backup and Riley Leonard listed as the emergency third quarterback.
The contrast with Jones’s former team is sharp. The Giants, after cycling through multiple starters including Jaxson Dart, Jameis Winston, and now J.J. McCarthy, sit at 4-2-1 and lead the NFC East.
Indianapolis, by contrast, has stuck with the same quarterback and finds itself near the bottom of the AFC South standings.
Whether Steichen’s faith is rewarded will depend on whether Jones can recapture the form that made him a priority free agent, or whether the Colts’ thin depth chart leaves them with few realistic alternatives if the struggles persist.
