Anthony Richardson's Days As The Indianapolis Colts Presumptive Starting Quarterback Are Over
INDIANAPOLIS – The honeymoon is over for Anthony Richardson, and that ending was announced in the very city the quarterback had hoped to lift to relevance and even championship levels.
Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard, speaking to reporters Tuesday at the NFL scouting combine, said the club intends to bring in a quarterback who will not only be on the same team with Richardson in 2025, but perhaps will take his starting job.
So Richardson's days as the Colts' presumptive starter are effectively over.
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - FEBRUARY 25: General manager Chris Ballard of the Indianapolis Colts speaks to the media during the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center on February 25, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
Colts Looking For ‘Real Competition’
"We want to create real competition," Ballard said. "I think it's good for the team. I think it's good for Anthony. We drafted Anthony high knowing it was going to take some time, and we knew there's going to be some hiccups along the way.
"I know we all want a finished product right now. I do. You do. Fans do. We all do. But I think as he continues to progress in his young career, us adding competition, I think, will help up everybody's game."
Said another way, Richardson gets no special treatment anymore. He got that as a rookie when he was practically handed the starting job in 2023 after only one preseason game. And he got that at the start of 2024.
But then something happened.
Richardson wasn't too good. He completed only 59.5 percent of his passes in the four games he managed to play as a rookie before injuring his shoulder. And then he regressed to a wholly unacceptable 47.7 percent completion percentage with 8 touchdowns and 12 interceptions last season.
Draft Status Doesn't Matter Anymore
And just like that, all of Richardson's entitlement to the starting job is over. It no longer matters that he was the No. 4 overall selection in the 2023 draft.
That draft status carried him only so long, but has evaporated within a lot of bad NFL tape.
So, Ballard promises to find another quarterback this offseason. And, really, the only thing practically guaranteeing that Richardson will lose his job is the fact that nobody knows who the new guy will be.
That includes Ballard.
"It's got to be the right guy to create real competition," he said of this unknown player.
Ballard said the Colts are willing to consider all avenues in acquiring this new, magical competitor of a quarterback. That would include free agency, a trade or even the draft.
But let's be real here: The Colts, picking No. 14 in a draft not considered strong on quarterbacks, probably won't find someone much better than Richardson in the draft. Plus two first-round picks is a lot of resources devoted to getting the quarterback spot right.
Las Vegas Raiders QB Gardner Minshew showed great maturity with the media after being benched. (Credit: Getty Images)
Minshew Time Again In Indy?
So the Colts would probably be more realistically involved in picking a veteran on the open market or perhaps trading for someone's backup.
And that is where the name Gardner Minshew is almost certainly going to come up. Minshew started 13 games for the Colts in 2023 before moving on to the Las Vegas Raiders last season.
Well, the departure was bad news for Minshew and the Colts. Because the Colts got worse at quarterback with Richardson starting and Minshew struggled in Las Vegas.
That desert experience in Las Vegas last year makes Minshew a candidate to be traded or possibly even released this offseason. And his solid 7-6 record as a starter under coach Shane Steichen with the Colts the prior season makes him a candidate to return.
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - FEBRUARY 25: General manager Chris Ballard of the Indianapolis Colts speaks to the media during the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center on February 25, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
Richardson Has To Work To Start
This probably won't sit well with Richardson. But, well, he doesn't have much say in the matter. Nor can he point to his statistics and say this is wrong.
"We've had good conversations," Ballard said. "Anthony's accepted all of it. He understands there needs to be some growth and there's work. That's the one thing I'm really proud of him about. There's no deferring or defensiveness.
"It's, 'I know I've got to go to work.' I think it's understanding the enormity of who the quarterback is and what the value of that position is. [He was] -- I don't want to say naïve when he first came into the league -- but there was a little naïvety."
There's no room for that anymore. Richardson was benched at one point last year and is losing all the look of privilege based on his draft status this offseason.
He's on his own now. The honeymoon is over.