Confidence in the Indianapolis Colts is lukewarm at best heading into the 2025 season amid the team’s four-season drought without an NFL playoff berth.
The Colts have made the playoffs just twice — and won only a single postseason game — over the past eight seasons under Chris Ballard, who sits firmly on the hot seat in 2025 and could lose his job if he is unable to steer the team into greater success this season.
The Colts are also counting on a quarterback battle between Daniel Jones and Anthony Richardson to provide them with a trustworthy starter who can help them win games. That’s quite the gamble considering that Jones flamed out early into his $160 million contract with the New York Giants and that Richardson has shown little consistency.
For the optimists in the Colts fandom, though, here are three bold predictions about how things will unfold for Indianapolis during the forthcoming 2025 season:
Anthony Richardson Will Open Season as Starting QB
GettyColts quarterback Anthony Richardson.
Richardson — the No. 4 overall pick in 2023 — has not yet panned out as the Colts had hoped he would when they originally selected him. A shoulder injury and subsequent surgery cost him most of his rookie year, while he struggled to overcome inconsistency in his second season, resulting in the Colts benching him for veteran Joe Flacco. To make matters worse, Richardson also re-aggravated his shoulder injury during OTAs, sidelining him for spring workouts and giving Jones time to pull ahead in their battle.
That said, Richardson is not defeated just yet. Colts head coach Shane Steichen said he anticipates Richardson will return during camp to continue his competition with Jones for the starting job, and if he can manage to get back on the field right away, he will have all the time he needs to make up ground against Jones. Considering that the Colts also have much more invested in Richardson, they will likely give him the starting nod if he can improve upon his shortcomings and at least match Jones’ playbook mastery.
Tyler Warren Will Catch More Passes Than Michael Pittman Jr.
GettyColts tight end Tyler Warren.
Perhaps this prediction is a little too ambitious for a player who has not yet played a single live snap in the NFL, but the Colts selected Warren with the No. 14 overall pick for a reason: they believe he can be a versatile and dominant weapon for their offense. Ballard even said after Warren’s selection that he hasn’t felt that good about a draft pick since taking guard Quenton Nelson — a Pro Bowl in all seven seasons — in 2018.
While Pittman is an experienced and established wide receiver, Warren is the new kid on the block who tallied 104 catches for 1,233 yards and eight touchdowns during his final season at Penn State in 2024. He can function as an in-line tight end as much as he can line up in the slot or on the boundary as a route-runner. His terrific hands also make him a valuable safety net for whichever quarterback wins the starting job, which could lead to him receiving more consistent targets — and, consequently, more catches — than Pittman.
Bernhard Raimann Will Make 1st Career Pro Bowl
GettyColts left tackle Bernhard Raimann (79).
The Colts will have some questions to answer about their offensive line heading into the 2025 season after letting two of their top interior starters — center Ryan Kelly and right guard Will Fries — sign with other teams in free agency. The team is choosing to trust in recent draft picks Tanor Bortolini and Matt Goncalves as their new starters, but it is an approach that could bring instability to the line if either one of them falls short.
Fortunately for the Colts, they don’t have nearly as much to worry about at left tackle following Raimann’s excellent season in 2024. The 2022 third-round pick reached new heights in his third season as a full-time starter, earning a top-10 grade both as a run-blocker (80.7) and overall (85.1) from Pro Football Focus and yielding four sacks and 20 pressures on 471 pass-blocking snaps for the Colts. If Raimann can continue to get better in 2025 during the final year of his rookie contract, he could add a Pro Bowl nod to his resume before he dives into extension talks with the Colts for the 2026 season.
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