Regardless of what happens in the following two games, the Colts will enter the 2025 offseason with no definitive answers to the issues surrounding Anthony Richardson’s ability to develop into the franchise quarterback this organization so urgently requires.
There are still grounds to assume that Richardson may one day reach the lofty expectations that Indianapolis executives had when they drafted him.
However, the reasons behind Richardson’s draft by the Colts remain the same, and concerns about his long-term viability have grown.
The most recent development in Richardson’s sophomore season is another milestone.
Indianapolis downgraded Richardson from questionable to out on Saturday, putting the 22-year-old quarterback out of Sunday’s game against the Giants due to back and foot problems well before the Colts knew if they’d be eliminated by the Chargers and Broncos on Saturday afternoon.
“He was just sore all week, really sore,” Colts coach Shane Steichen said on Friday. “Being smart there.”
According to Steichen, the back damage is more concerning than the foot problem in the short term. According to a team source, Richardson has been battling back spasms, which limit his mobility and movement, and the issue has not improved as expected this week.
Long-term, the Colts’ injury count is beginning to rise. Richardson has now missed 16 of a possible 33 starts in his NFL career due to four different injuries: a concussion that cost him a game as a rookie, a season-ending sprained AC joint in his throwing shoulder, a hip/oblique injury suffered against Pittsburgh earlier this season, and now the back and foot with the season potentially on the line against the Giants.
Colts officials have frequently dismissed worries about Richardson’s ability to stay healthy while competing as a bruising, powerful runner.
It’s difficult to downplay those worries right now.
Every NFL player must be evaluated on their ability to stay healthy. Every team, including the Colts, has cut or allowed a player to leave in free agency due to worries about the player’s durability, and while three of Richardson’s four absences have been brief, the total continues to rise.
Availability is even more critical at quarterback, as Indianapolis owner Jim Irsay recognized at the 2023 owner’s meetings, a month before the team drafted Richardson, who had injury concerns entering the selection.
“I know this, (quarterbacks) have to stay healthy, and that’s important, too,” Irsay added. “When we got Andrew (Luck), it was, ‘Andrew, I know you’re going to run, but you’ve got to shut it down when you have to shut it down, because you have to stay on the field and stay healthy.'”
Richardson’s inexperience and inaccuracy were the other two major problems the quarterback had to address.
When the Colts selected Richardson with the fourth choice in the 2023 draft, the club made it clear that they anticipated it would take a long time for Richardson to reach the promise of his raw, unfinished athletic abilities.
Indianapolis officials have stayed to that approach, preaching patience even after Shane Steichen opted to sit Richardson for two weeks earlier this season due to worries about the 22-year-old quarterback’s preparation and attention to detail in what Steichen referred to as “the little things.”
The tiny things, the intricacies in meetings and walk-throughs, may appear unimportant at first sight, but in a league where teams change every play based on what their opponent is doing, those details can be critical on Sundays.
The Colts believe Richardson has been much more professional in his preparation since then, but the benching served as a reminder that the quarterback’s lack of college starts — he only made 13 at Florida — is a huge challenge to overcome.
“I think this thing is a marathon,” Steichen said. “Obviously, he’s played the most he’s played in a long time, and he’s made great strides from coming back.”
Even after the benching, though, Richardson’s inaccuracy — and all of the factors that play into it, including his ability to read defenses, find the right receiver and get the ball there on time — has only improved so much.
After surprising nearly everyone by completing 59.5% of his throws in 84 attempts as a rookie, Richardson has completed just 47.7% in 2024, and that number has improved only marginally since the benching to 51.1%.
Richardson has been hurt at times by his supporting cast, by drops and issues in pass protection, but like the injury issue, the sheer volume of the problem is unavoidable. Richardson’s .477 completion percentage is the lowest in the NFL among passers with more than 200 attempts this season by far; the next-lowest is Carolina’s Bryce Young at 60.2%, and it would be hard to find somebody who believes Carolina has an advantage over Indianapolis in terms of supporting talent.
Richardson can also make up for his lack of completion percentage by hitting more explosive plays than other quarterbacks, but the lack of completions—he’s completed more than 12 passes in just three of his 11 starts—have led to lulls where the offense is entirely one-dimensional and prone to 3-and-outs. His bouts of inaccuracy, and times when his decision-making hasn’t come fast enough, have also led to 12 interceptions.
There are still reasons to believe in Richardson.
Big, powerful and dynamic, Richardson is a unique, Cam Newton-style weapon who is an incredible runner both in the open field and in short-yardage situations. His arm strength can produce otherworldly plays, like the 60-yard touchdown pass he uncorked to Alec Pierce in the opener.
Richardson is also excellent at avoiding sacks, a skill that takes a lot of young quarterbacks a long time to learn.
Free agent quarterbacks available for 2025
Making matters more difficult, there aren’t any obvious upgrades on the horizon if the Colts wanted to move on from Richardson after two years, a decision they’ve given no indication of making. Atlanta’s Kirk Cousins and Pittsburgh backup Justin Fields may be the best veteran options if Minnesota re-signs Sam Darnold; the Colts will not hold a pick high enough to have a shot at Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders or Miami’s Cam Ward in a draft that is widely considered to be thin on quarterback talent.
The best play, at the end of the day, will likely be giving Richardson another chance to make the miracle leap. But he will essentially be trying to fix the same issues that have been there all along.
