In response to NFL Community’s Ian Rapoport, he would not be stunned if Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson, who’s competing for the QB2 job behind starter Daniel Jones, has performed his final down in Indy:
It has been a curler coaster experience for the 2023 4th total choose of the Colts, who had a promising begin to his professional profession as a rookie in a restricted 4 begins that very same season, earlier than being misplaced to a season-ending shoulder harm.
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Richardson endured a ‘sophomore droop’ a yr later, the place his maturity was questioned following his notorious in-game tap-out incident, and it has been a myriad of accidents which have stored him off the sector ever since—together with a freak accident in Week 6 final season when a medical band snapped throughout pre-game work, which might trigger him to overlook the remaining 2025 season. The Colts may’ve actually used Richardson after Jones went down with an Achilles tear throughout Week 14 of final yr, however as talked about, he wasn’t accessible himself as a backup.
There’s been loads of blame to go round for each side. The Colts initially mentioned he wanted snaps and recreation day reps after drafting him, solely to reverse course, and say he wasn’t prepared—and will’ve sat to start his professional profession looking back. Indianapolis by no means surrounded him with a prepared veteran mentor at quarterback both.
Even overlooking the accidents, Richardson’s passing accuracy stays a crucial deficiency for him to take the subsequent step, and it is a truthful query of whether or not he was doing every thing on and off the sector to guide the staff as their new QB1—and the recent CEO of W. 56th Road staff headquarters.
At any fee, having already had bother dealing with some snaps in coaching camp, it seems as if Richardson’s imaginative and prescient could not have totally recovered but from the medical band incident. Together with his commerce worth already seemingly low, as a result of let’s face it, if the Colts had gotten one thing significant in a commerce provide in return, they most likely already would’ve moved him, one has to surprise if the newest imaginative and prescient issues solely torpedos it downward additional.
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For what it is value, there was no standing replace per Richardson, on his earlier offseason commerce request from each him and his illustration, which nonetheless stays lively—as he is simply trying to assist a staff, whether or not it is the Colts or one other NFL squad proper now:
With Richardson, at greatest, having didn’t separate himself so removed from 2nd-year quarterback Riley Leonard in coaching camp, it makes essentially the most sense for Indianapolis each now and going ahead to have the latter because the QB2 behind Jones as a result of Leonard is beneath contract by the 2028 season, whereas Richardson is a free agent at year-end—and it is a foregone conclusion that he won’t re-sign with the Colts.
It might be one factor if Richardson was head-and-shoulders the higher backup QB choice over Leonard, who simply has one profession begin beneath his belt, however that hasn’t been the case but. Richardson undoubtedly wants to select it up.
