Richardson’s career has gotten off to a disadvantageous start
Richardson’s career has gotten off to a disadvantageous start
Two years ago, the Indianapolis Colts made Anthony Richardson their quarterback of the future.
He was considered an extremely talented, albeit extremely raw prospect who would take some time to develop, but would have incredibly high upside if he fulfilled his potential. Richardson had started just 13 games at the University of Florida, and he was just 20 years old at the time he was drafted.
Two years into his NFL career, things haven’t gone as planned. Richardson only appeared in parts of four games as a rookie in 2023, leaving two of them early due to injuries — one of which ended his season after he had thrown just 84 passes.
Richardson again battled injuries during his sophomore campaign, and he was also briefly benched in favor of veteran backup Joe Flacco. By the end of the year, he’d completed just 47.7% of his passes at an average of 6.9 yards per attempt, with eight touchdown passes against 12 interceptions. He chipped in 499 yards and six scores on the ground, but it’s safe to say he hasn’t yet come close to reaching the ceiling his skill set suggested was possible.
At the NFL combine this week, Colts general manager Chris Ballard acknowledged that there have been “hiccups” in Richardson’s development, and suggested the team will bring in competition for him this offseason.
“I know we all want a finished product right now. I do, you do, fans do. We all do,” Ballard said, via NBC Sports. “But I think as he [Richardson] continues to progress in his young career, us adding competition, I think, will help up everybody’s game.”
Indianapolis is set to enter the offseason with around $35.3 million in cap space, barring any releases or restructured contracts. It could get into the market for someone like Sam Darnold, Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, Daniel Jones or Mac Jones, depending on how much the Colts want to spend in free agency.
There are also trade options potentially out there, like Kirk Cousins, Aaron Rodgers (unless they are released), Joe Milton III or Malik Willis. And there is also the draft, though the Colts using another Day 1 pick on a passer seems unlikely. Perhaps they could be interested in a Day 2 quarterback like Jaxson Dart, Jalen Milroe, Quinn Ewers or Tyler Shough.
Whatever route they choose, it doesn’t seem likely that Richardson will enter the season as the unquestioned starter under center. He’s going to have to beat somebody out by showing that his potential is closer to being realized than the way he’s played so far would indicate.