The Colts should look to bring in talented quarterback Justin Fields to compete with Anthony Richardson
Going after Justin Fields has been a talking point amongst Colts fans for many months now, and it’s a viable option the Colts should strongly consider for a few reasons.
Anthony Richardson is unreliable
While you can pick a part a bunch of different issues with Richardson’s game, notably his inability to hit layup throws and his inconsistency with his ball placement, his biggest issue is his health.
Over his first two seasons, he’s played in 15 out of 34 possible games. He’s dealt with a myriad of injuries, from his shoulder, to his head, hip, knee and also to his hamstring. It’s truly incredible to see that many injuries in the span of two years.
Richardson is going into his make-or-break season and will need to not only show improvement with his regards to his passing but also improvements with regards to his durability. To bank on both things happening in 2025 is optimistic so the Colts will need to have themselves a proper backup who could potentially be the long-term starter. 2025 might be Richardson’s last season with the team if things don’t improve for him on either front. To go into the season without an alternative long-term solution would be gross negligence towards the organization.
The best trait is availability and Richardson has not proven he has that trait.
Fields still has big potential
The notion that Justin Fields is washed or not worthy of development is an incorrect one. In terms of his raw skills and talent, he is amongst the 10-12 most talented in the NFL.
Justin Fields is an elite athlete with a rare combination of arm talent, mobility, and toughness that makes him a dynamic quarterback. His raw tools are undeniable — he possesses a strong arm capable of making deep throws with velocity and accuracy, especially outside the numbers. His deep ball is one of the best among young quarterbacks and he has shown the ability to make some out of wordly throws.
I know that sounds like Anthony Richardson, but Fields has been more consistent with his passes and he can hit the checkdowns and layups throws that Richardson refuses to do! While their raw arm talents are similar (although a clear edge given to Richardson), Fields has proven to be more of a polished passer than Richardson is and that’s all that matters at the end of the day.
His 4.4 speed makes him a legitimate dual-threat quarterback. In 2022, he became just the third quarterback in NFL history to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season, joining Lamar Jackson and Michael Vick. His ability to extend plays and escape pressure turns broken plays into explosive gains. While he may not have the size that Richardson has, he certainly has the same speed and perhaps a bit more agility and quickness.
Beyond his physical tools, Fields is tough and resilient. He’s played behind some horrible offensive lines, especially in Chicago, and only missed 10 games in 3 years in Chicago. Despite all the physical gifts, his durability might be one of his best traits.
The big thing? He’s about to be 26 years old, so he hasn’t even scratched the surface of his potential. And Anthony Richardson has made a lot of wow throws, but Fields can make wow throws too.
Fields to Pickens to set up a FG attempt with 3 seconds left in the half
: #PITvsATL on FOX
: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/RVFrcG3Nl0— NFL (@NFL) September 8, 2024
His contract wouldn’t be wildly expensive
If we look at Sam Darnold’s contract from last season with the Vikings, he was on a 1-year, $10M deal in a prove it role. That would be what Fields would be signing on for.
Darnold was a backup quarterback the year prior to signing in Minnesota and was signed to compete for a starting spot. Other comparable contracts include Gardner Minshew’s contract which was 2 years at $12.5M per year and Jacoby Brisset, whose contract was for 1 year at $8M. So if you take the average of those 3 players, it comes out to around $10M, which as mentioned before, is the best comparable contract to Fields.
As it stands, the Colts have 35M in cap space and if you account for draft picks and some space for in-season transactions, that’ll leave around $25-$27M to spend on free agents this offseason (whether it’s their own or outside guys).
Likelihood of signing in Indianapolis
How many teams could Justin Fields start or having a good chance of starting on today? It’s a short list comprising of the following teams:
- New York Jets
- Cleveland Browns
- Tennessee Titans
- Las Vegas Raiders
- New York Giants
- Pittsburgh Steelers
The Giants and Titans both have high draft picks and could very well take a quarterback early in the draft. Regarding the other teams, they will surely look for a free agent or a high end backup quarterback. Kirk Cousins will likely be available via trade and Sam Darnold will be a top free agent target. If Darnold and Cousins are in Tier 1 of available quarterback targets, Russell Wilson would likely be a Tier 2 candidate and guys like Fields, Cooper Rush and Jameis Winston would be in the Tier 3 category. The curveball in all of this is Matthew Stafford and whether he’s traded; if he is, then he would be in Tier 1A above Cousins and Darnold. There are also rumblings about Geno Smith, so the point is there are enough guys out there for all the teams listed.
With supply likely exceeding the amount of expected demand, we shouldn’t see too many crazy high prices for contracts.