Adam Schefter delivers crucial update on Colts' Anthony Richardson era

Not even a week after the Indianapolis Colts made the decision to bench Anthony Richardson, Adam Schefter is reporting that the franchise might be done with the former fourth overall pick.

Schefter posted on Sunday morning, "Based on history, this looks like the beginning of the end of Anthony Richardson's time in Indianapolis. From 2000-2022, there were 66 quarterbacks selected in the first round of the NFL draft, and 25 of those QBs were benched at some while on their rookie contract. Mitch Trubisky is the only one who started a playoff game or was selected to the Pro Bowl with the team that drafted him after being benched, per ESPN researcher @EpKap".

For what it's worth, Schefter's post isn't necessarily telling us that the Colts said they're done with Richardson. Instead, he's going off of what history tells us about this moment. What history tells us is that whenever a rookie quarterback gets benched, it's normally not ending well for him with that franchise.

Could the Colts already be done with Anthony Richardson?

The Colts spent the fourth overall pick on Richardson in the 2023 NFL Draft with the hopes that he could come in and finally give them consistency at the quarterback position. Since Andrew Luck abruptly retired in 2019, the Colts have not had consistency at the most important position in the sport and the hope was that Richardson would change that.

While Richardson looked the part of a promising franchise quarterback during his rookie year, a shoulder injury in Week 4 took him out for the rest of the season. This year served as another rookie year of sorts for the former fourth overall pick, and he was given six starts before the Colts benched him.

Of course, Richardson didn't help his cause when he took a play off a week ago because he was tired. He had been struggling when given the start, and Joe Flacco played well while filling in for him while Richardson was injured, so Shane Steichen and the rest of the Colts front office clearly thought this was the time to make the change.

If the Colts do move on from Richardson, it's hard not to picture them drafting a quarterback again. Flacco is only under contract this year and he's pushing 40, so he's not the long-term answer. Maybe the Colts trade for someone in the offseason, but that'd be putting a band-aid on the solution rather than trying to full-on solve it.

We'll see if this does end up being the end of Richardson's time with the Colts, or if this relationship can still be salvaged.