According to ESPN’s Aaron Schatz, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson Sr. is one the league’s players who could use a ‘change of scenery’ this offseason:
Indianapolis Colts
QB Anthony Richardson Sr.
Richardson’s early performances with Indianapolis just haven’t made the grade. As a rookie in 2023, he posted a 45.0 QBR in four starts. In 2024, he registered a 47.4 QBR in 11 starts. He missed almost all of last season, first because the Colts chose to start Daniel Jones over him and later because Richardson sustained a fractured orbital bone during pregame warmups in October.
Shane Steichen was supposed to be the coach who could develop an offense around Richardson, but it hasn’t worked out. Perhaps another coach could make it work for the signal-caller.
It wouldn’t be surprising at all if Richardson is ultimately moved this offseason.
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The Colts and current starting quarterback Daniel Jones, who’s a pending free agent and recovering from a season-ending torn Achilles injury, are expected to strike a deal on a new multi-year contract extension soon.
Rising 2nd-year quarterback Riley Leonard had an encouraging first career start against the Houston Texans in the regular season finale and looks like he may be able to adequately hold down the primary backup role behind Jones for the foreseeable future. However, it was a very limited sample size.
Where does that leave Richardson exactly?
After suffering a freak pre-game warm up injury in Week 6 at home, when a medical band inexplicably snapped, Richardson was lost for the remainder of the 2025 season due to a fractured orbital bone.
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In the wake of Jones’ Achilles injury in Week 14, it proved to be even more costly because Richardson would’ve otherwise been the starting quarterback again down the final stretch of the 2025 campaign—and maybe could’ve saved the Colts dwindling playoff hopes. We’ll never know.
Due a projected $10.8M cap hit next season, the Colts have a decision to make on the still only 24-year-old quarterback, who was the former 4th overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft—and initially had a tantalizing start to his pro career in 4 starts before being lost to a season-ending shoulder injury.
Richardson endured a sophomore slump the following season in 2024, with the boiling over point being his infamous ‘tap-out’ near midseason of that year. He was benched two games before regaining the starter’s job from longtime veteran quarterback Joe Flacco, showing some improvement (albeit against weaker NFL opponents) before being lost again to injury for the final 2 games of the 2024 campaign due to more injuries.
ESPN’s Stephen Holder speculated earlier this week that Richardson and his representation requesting a trade seems ‘inevitable.’
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Richardson’s tenure with the Colts has been a roller coaster. There’s been highs and lows. Both sides share some necessary blame in things not working out as initially envisioned. Some of Richardson’s naivety and immaturity aren’t excusable, but the Colts also didn’t necessarily put the proper support system around him to best succeed.
It’s also worth noting that Jones mastered the Colts offense in a matter of months from his arrival last offseason to a level that Richardson hadn’t shown during his two years prior in Indianapolis.
It just seems odd to me that the Colts, who initially drafted Richardson back in 2023, did so under the premise that he just needed valuable experience and reps—only to pull the plug on the young quarterback prematurely, when they knew from the beginning he was a developmental project—or at the very least, remains a work in progress as an NFL passing quarterback. There’s potentially more to this story than disclosed publicly.
At any rate, this marriage between the two sides seems to be reaching a split, sooner rather than later.
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