Two words can flip the whole vibe of a locker room in August: “It’s official.” That’s exactly what the Colts dropped on Tuesday, handing the QB1 job to Daniel Jones. And sure, the headline screams about the starter. But the real story is now about the backup. Anthony Richardson’s camp isn’t exactly taking this one on the chin. By sundown, his agent was already on record dropping the T word.

When the Colts announced Daniel Jones as the QB1 on Tuesday, Richardson’s agent, Deiric Jackson, didn’t hold back. “We’ve got a lot to talk about… Trust is a huge factor, and right now, it’s shaky at best,” Richardson’s agent told ESPN. He pointed out that Richardson did everything the team asked. “Anthony came back and made the improvements in the areas he needed to improve. And by all accounts, he had a great camp,” Jackson added, highlighting that Richardson checked all the boxes.

From the Colts’ angle, you can see the math. They gave Jones a one-year, $14 million deal back in March. As for Shane Steichen, it came down to the little things: consistency, control, and running the show at the line. And come on, why would they get out and get a QB on a one-year deal if they fully ‘trusted’ Anthony Richardson?

So while Anthony Richardson’s agent goes on record, saying the ‘trust’ is broken, it probably wouldn’t surprise the Colts. It was broken a long time ago. And while Steichen wanted ‘consistency,’ Richardson couldn’t provide anything remotely close to it. Richardson’s rookie year? Cut short after just a month with that shoulder injury. Last season? An oblique tweak, a quick benching for Joe Flacco, then back in the mix. It’s been stop-start, exactly the kind of bumpy ride that makes coaches hesitate.

This year’s camp made it worse. When he injured his pinkie, it was completely on him. Early in just his second drive, Richardson got lit up on a blindside blitz from David Ojabo. The protection was chaos. No starting right tackle, a rookie (Jalen Travis) stranded on an island, and Richardson didn’t adjust. Ojabo came flying through untouched, and it ended up with Richardson on the turf, pinkie dislocated.

It wasn’t the first time people have questioned Richardson’s football IQ. Sure, the arm talent is freaky, and the athleticism is video-game level, but a 50.6% completion rate, more picks than touchdowns, and an injury list longer than a CVS receipt? That’s a tough look, no matter how you spin it.

The Colts are sticking to their line: Richardson’s still part of the future in Indy. His agent? He’s made it clear that his future needs two things: clarity and actual snaps to restore trust. But we all know, if the trust gets broken, there’s usually no going back. While Richardson struggles, the Colts chose Jones, and the reasons behind it are compelling.

What made the Colts choose Daniel Jones?

It was a long battle. The Colts waited till the end of the preseason to make the decision. “He’s the starting quarterback for the season,” Colts head coach Shane Steichen said of Jones on Tuesday.”I don’t want to have a short leash on that.” It was peculiar because the long-standing battle was pretty much a dead heat. Not because both guys were lighting it up, but because neither really pulled away.

All camp long, Jones and Richardson traded good days and “meh” ones, each showing some growth from preseason Week 1 to Week 2. In the end, it feels like Steichen leaned toward Jones for one reason: the vet just runs the operation a little cleaner.

“You guys heard me talk about the consistency. That’s really what I was looking for,” Steichen remarked after his decision. “Really the operations at the line of scrimmage, the checks, the protection, the ball placement, the completion percentage, all that played a factor in it. I think Daniel did a great job doing that, and I think A.R. has made strides in that area, but I do feel that he still needs to continue to develop in those areas,” he added.

With six seasons and 70 NFL games under his belt, Jones had the edge there, of course. And yes, preseason matters. Jones has logged 245 yards to Richardson’s 94. Nothing eye-popping, but when you pair it with Steichen’s praise about running things at the line, the picture gets clearer: Jones looked like the guy who had this playbook down in August. That’s usually how camp battles get decided.