This isn’t the end for Anthony Richardson in Indianapolis.
That’s what Colts general manager Chris Ballard will likely say because that’s what he’s already said. It’s been what he’s said every time Richardson, the 2023 No. 4 pick, hits a crossroads in his tumultuous tenure with the franchise.
When the young Colts quarterback suffered a season-ending shoulder injury just five weeks into his rookie campaign, Ballard preached patience. When Richardson was benched midseason last year in favor of then 39-year-old Joe Flacco, Ballard preached patience. When Richardson was thrust into an open QB competition this offseason with Daniel Jones, Ballard preached patience.
On Tuesday, however, it seemed the organization’s patience had run out. Colts coach Shane Steichen announced that Jones won the starting job, with Steichen choosing to prioritize the present with Jones over the future with Richardson.
“I think this league is a year-to-year league,” Steichen said. “What do I feel is best for the Indianapolis Colts in 2025? I’ve got to make these decisions. That’s what I get paid to do. And I gotta go with what I feel is right.”
While picking Jones might “feel” right for Steichen, that choice comes with another feeling, as well. It feels like the Colts admitted Tuesday that they whiffed on Richardson, the most important pick of Ballard’s nine-year tenure as GM. It also feels like Steichen, who heavily advocated for the Colts to draft Richardson in 2023, is admitting the Richardson ship has capsized as he jumps onto the nearest lifeboat with Jones at the helm.
Maybe Jones does give the Colts the best chance to win in 2025, but in a QB competition in which neither passer truly pulled away from the other, Jones was always the safer pick.
Of course, choosing Jones is justified given Richardson’s well-documented struggles on the field and the litany of injuries that have often kept him off it. Ballard noted that Richardson’s inability to stay healthy (17 missed games due to injury over the last two seasons) was the No. 1 reason the Colts pursued competition for him in the first place. That cracked the door open for Jones, who inked a one-year, $14 million deal to even come here.
And Richardson hasn’t done himself any favors in the aftermath of Jones’ arrival. He was shut down in the spring due to a throwing shoulder injury and dislocated his right pinkie finger in the preseason opener. He has continued to prove he can’t be trusted to stay on the field.
But the idea that Richardson’s second benching in nine months can somehow be spun into a positive for his development isn’t very moving. Richardson needs to play to prove he is capable of being more accurate and more available. That’s not an option for a player standing on the sideline on Sundays.
Ballard recently scoffed at the idea of Richardson’s 2025 campaign being a make-or-break season; four weeks later, the Colts have asked for a break from Richardson — perhaps permanently.
“Sometimes, you’ve got to have a little patience with a guy and let them grow through things,” Ballard of Richardson in July. “Now … if you just know this guy (can’t succeed and think), ‘No, he can’t do it,’ (then you move on). But if you think, ‘Hey, he’s on the right trajectory,’ why are you going to flush him?’ Just because people outside think you should flush him, I don’t agree with that.
“I think we need to give Anthony every chance to be the best he can be. I think he can be really good, but things gotta come together.”
Currently, in Richardson’s world, things seem to be falling apart.
It’s worth noting that Jones, entering his seventh NFL season, has played only one full season without missing a game due to injury or being benched. Based on that track record, Richardson, who is 8-7 in just 15 career starts, should have a legitimate chance to start again in 2025.
However, as the 23-year-old heads back to the bench, there still seems to be no clear plan for his development in Indianapolis. Asked Tuesday if he has faith in the Colts to guide his future, Richardson sidestepped the question.
“I have faith in God and whatever he has in store for me. I’m trusting in him,” Richardson said. “I can’t really think about anything else because if I do that, then I’mma put myself in a hole. So, I just gotta trust in the Lord, and I gotta be where I am right now. And right now, I’m an Indianapolis Colt.”
Richardson’s agent, Deiric Jackson, was more frank, telling ESPN he isn’t sure about Richardson’s future with the team.
“Trust is a big factor, and that is, at best, questionable right now,” Jackson said.
If there is a path to Richardson still becoming the face of the Colts franchise, history would suggest that it will likely take a mini miracle. How many instances, if any, can you think of where a quarterback, who was selected with a top-five pick, was benched twice by the team that drafted him and then somehow rebounded with that same franchise and went on to become a star?
I’m drawing a blank, too.
In a sense, the Colts’ second benching of Richardson feels like they’re asking for a do-over. Ballard has stated that he wishes the Colts hadn’t played Richardson right away.
“He was drowning,” Ballard recently told The Athletic.
Steichen added Tuesday that Richardson’s latest demotion is a chance for him to sit back and learn. However, it’s likely too little, too late with an expensive decision on Richardson’s fifth-year option looming next offseason.
Perhaps Richardson gets another chance to prove himself on the field, but if the Colts have it their way, that opportunity won’t come anytime soon. Steichen anointed Jones “the starting quarterback for the season. I don’t want to have a short leash on that.”
Meanwhile, when asked if Richardson will ever start for Indy again, Steichen wasn’t sure.
“That’s hard to say,” the coach said. “Obviously, Daniel is our starter right now, and if something happened to Daniel at some point, A.R. gets another opportunity.”
Richardson is coming off a season in which he went 6-5 as the starter while throwing eight TDs and 12 interceptions. His 47.7 completion percentage was the lowest mark in the NFL in 2024 and the third-lowest mark of any passer over the last 20 years with at least 200 pass attempts in a single season, per StatMuse. Not to mention, the most damning play of Richardson’s career is when he tapped out of a game last year because he was “tired.” If the Colts no longer believe Richardson can be a starting QB, let alone a franchise cornerstone, it’s hard to argue against that.
But on the other side, Jones shouldn’t be painted as a savior, either, no matter how much Steichen likes his “operational” approach. Sure, Jones completed 63.3 percent of his passes last season. However, he still went 2-8 as the starter while throwing eight touchdowns against seven interceptions before being benched and released by the Giants. The 2019 No. 6 pick finished his career in New York with a 24-44-1 record, including a 3-13 showing over the last two years.
In other words, save for the 2022 season in which Jones led the Giants to the playoffs, the Colts are asking Jones to be something he’s rarely been in his career: a winner. Fittingly, or desperately depending on your vantage point, Jones’ campaign from three years ago was the only tangible evidence Steichen could lean on while anointing him the starter over Richardson.
“He had a hell of a year that year,” Steichen said. “I think that was the highest completion rate in Giants franchise history that season. So, he’s proven to do it. I know he’s had his ups and downs, but everyone’s journey is different. I feel confident in his abilities.”
At least someone in Indy does, because from the outside looking in, there’s not much to draw confidence from.
“They are not ready to say that they f—ed up (with Richardson), but they are hedging,” a defensive coach recently told The Athletic’s Mike Sando for his QB Tiers.
After pulling the plug on Richardson, the Colts are betting on Jones. It’s a risky gamble, but with all of their chips — and futures — seemingly pushed to the center of the table, Ballard and company can now relax their poker faces. No one is buying that they haven’t quit on Richardson, even if it’s a reasonable decision, because this is precisely what quitting looks like.
For their sake, it had better pay off with a playoff berth, at minimum. Otherwise, Richardson likely won’t be the only one who’s relieved of his duties.
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(Photo: Michael Hickey / Getty Images)
