The Minnesota Vikings‘ quarterback situation is slightly touch-and-go with regards to JJ McCarthy‘s slightly underwhelming performances during minicamp. But the organization remains hopeful that he will become the player head coach, Kevin O’Connell, and general manager, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah drafted with the 10th overall pick in 2024.
But for former Vikings QB, Daniel Jones, things seemed to be looking up, as The Athletic’s James Boyd wrote on Monday that he has taken a big step towards cementing himself as the Week 1 starter for the Indianapolis Colts.
“The Colts signed the ex-Giants/Vikings quarterback in free agency to challenge Anthony Richardson for the QB1 title in Indy,” Boyd wrote, “and Jones has already taken a significant lead in what was supposed to be a wide-open quarterback competition. Richardson, the 2023 No. 4 pick, aggravated the surgically repaired AC joint in his throwing shoulder May 29 and was shut down for the rest of the spring. There is no timetable for his return, per Colts coach Shane Steichen, which further positions Jones to take over as the Week 1 starter.”
Is Daniel Jones The Clear Favorite To Start Week 1
Yet, despite this, Daniel Jones remains the underdog on betting markets to be the starting quarterback, at -106, with Richardson the -130 favorite.
There is not a vast difference between the two prices. After accounting for the bookmaker’s margin, the Richardson is roughly a 52-47 favorite, with Riley Leonard being give around a 1% chance of being named the starter.
This is by no means horrible odds for Jones, given that his counterpart, Richardson, at one point had over a 70% chance of winning the quarterback competition.
However, considering the loud endorsement of Jones’ chances of winning the competition by Boyd, it seems as though the betting markets do not have quite as much faith in the former Viking as the beat writers.
What Could Cause Jones To Lose The QB Competition?
A main reason for why bettors may be skeptical about Daniel Jones’ chances perhaps feels more related to management rather than the players themselves.
General manager, Chris Ballard, feels like he could be on his last legs if the Anthony Richardson experiment does not begin to show results in Year 3, particularly given the recent passing of former owner, Jim Irsay, who left the team to his children – who remain in charge. They may want their own guy at the helm, and if Richardson proves to be a bust, they will have an easy out to do so.
Starting Jones, who every NFL fan and consumer has seen is not a quality starting quarterback in the NFL, feels like the waving of the white flag to both the season and Ballard – and perhaps also head coach, Shane Steichen’s career in Indianapolis.
By keeping with Richardson, the Colts at least hold out some semblance hope that they could see him turn a corner and provide some security to their jobs.
But with the injury to AR15, Daniel Jones may be their first and only option, at least for the first week of the season.
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