Indianapolis Colts fans all know Anthony Richardson is constantly hurt. His most recent injury is likely his most severe. He broke an orbital bone in Week 6 pregame warmups, the same pregame that cornerback Charvarius Ward suffered his second concussion of the season (his second of, sadly, three).
Since that week, Ward has rarely played and is thinking about retirement. Richardson, meanwhile, isn't sure of his future, other than that he doesn't think about it much. He knows he is currently under contract with the Colts through next season, but after that, the future is a mystery.
In his year-end press conference, head coach Shane Steichen (who somehow has his job even though he is 7-22 against teams with a winning record in his time with Indy), was asked about Richardson's next steps with Indy, and Steichen had no real answer for it.
Shane Steichen and Indianapolis Colts clearly have no idea what to do with Anthony Richardson
Colts fans have learned a few things about Steichen in his time with Indy. One is that he is a decent offensive coach, though maybe not a great head coach. Another is that he is absolutely horrible at answering reporters' questions. He leaves far too much open, and more questions than answers.
In relation to Richardson, Steichen said, "The biggest thing is the eye limitations. That’s gotta get healthy, and those are conversations that will take place in the future."
OK...what?
Are the conversations with the doctors or the player? One could even assume, based on what Steichen said, that the talks have come with the quarterback's agent. The head coach should get paid for his ability to non-answer questions because he is among the best in that regard.
Give us more, please, Shane. Of course, the truth is that the head coach likely has no idea what is going on with Anthony Richardson. No one does, even his doctors. Each human being takes their own time to heal, and any issue Richardson has in his sight has no timeline for getting better.
What does seem clear is that the fourth overall draft pick in the 2023 draft is not going to be the team's first choice for QB1, possibly ever again. The team likely hopes to re-sign Daniel Jones in free agency, though he might not be back for Week 1 of 2026. Otherwise, Riley Leonard might be a better starter than Richardson.
The hope with Anthony Richardson is two-fold. One is that he will be healthy as a human being and will have no long-term sight issues. The other is that he will be able to play football for a long time and make a lot of money. That simply might not be with the Indianapolis Colts.