It would come as a surprise to absolutely no one among the Indianapolis Colts fandom that quarterback Anthony Richardson had a tough year in 2024. He was benched, he was injured, and when he was on the field, his performance seriously regressed from 2023. Though there were signs of some serious potential, for the most part, he struggled. According to Colts' general manager Chris Ballard, Richardson was "drowning."
2025 is a make-or-break year for Richardson, and the Colts have already made it clear that they'll be bringing in other quarterbacks as competition for him. Still, he will have one more year to turn things around and prove he has what it takes to lead this football team.
So his placement in Gary Davenport's quarterback rankings for Bleacher Report is what most would expect. Though not the worst in the bunch - Richardson came in at #25 - he was relegated to the "maybe brigade" of QBs who still have some hope for the future, but have otherwise underperformed.
"The Colts made Richardson the fourth overall pick in 2023, and the youngster is an electrifying runner. But Richardson completed just 47.7 percent of his passes in 2024 while tossing 12 interceptions, and unless he improves markedly as a passer in his third season, the Colts will all but certainly be headed back to the drawing board under center in 2026."Gary Davenport
There are still some things to be optimistic about; Richardson did show some serious improvement after returning from his benching, despite a deteriorating offense that frequently dropped balls and play-calling from Shane Steichen that was nothing short of nonsensical.
But of course, that bit of improvement wasn't enough. Richardson needs to do more, and he seems prepared to put in the work this offseason to get where he needs to be. He's reportedly already begun practicing, and plans to work with the biometric specialist who turned Josh Allen's career around.
If all of that doesn't work, though, then as Davenport said... the Colts will be looking for a new QB in 2026.