What to do with Anthony Richardson is a question the Indianapolis Colts have likely been asking themselves for a couple of seasons now. Or maybe since the quarterback's first season. He was the fourth overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft, and he hasn't panned out yet.
Last offseason, the team brought in Daniel Jones to "compete" with the oft-injured (and always inefficient) Richardson, but Jones' addition only made Richardson's deficiencies more glaring. The former New York Giants quarterback came in fully prepared and seemingly in full control of the playbook.
Richardson hasn't seemed to have ever mastered that. He has elite physical skill, and appears to have always relied more on that than simply trying to work head coach Shane Steichen's excellent system. AR5 comes off as indecisive on the field and lost at times once the ball is snapped.
Anthony Richardson's future with the Indianapolis Colts hangs in the balance
Indy clearly hopes to bring Jones back in free agency, but that doesn't leave Richardson a path to start, of course. Even worse, 2025 draft pick Riley Leonard might have surpassed him as QB2. Many trade suggestions have already been made about Richardson this offseason, and that might be the best move for the player and the Colts.
He still needs to become a more mature player, however. If he does go to another team, he needs to prove to that team that he is as mentally prepared as physically. NFL analysts have noted that as well.
As Logan Ulrich of NFL Trade Rumors wrote, "The biggest thing Richardson has to do to get his career back on track, though, is grow up. By all accounts, he's not a bad kid, just immature. Naive might even be a better descriptor in some facets...Quarterbacks are held to a different standard when it comes to work ethic, attention to detail, playing through pain, and leadership (and Richardson hasn't learned those aspects yet)."
Jonathan Taylor recently echoed Ulrich's point, though he did so while praising Daniel Jones. The star running back might not have even meant to imply what Richardson was like as a leader, but his words about Jones said far more.
Taylor said while speaking to FanSided ahead of Super Bowl LX, "I knew from Day 1 when Daniel came into camp, there was a check that he called that unless you had that playbook for years, or you got (the playbook) early, like a month in advance and went and started studying, you wouldn't have called that check. So that shows the discipline and the competitiveness that he had to make sure that he was ready to go."
As Ulrich pointed out, Anthony Richardson is not a bad person. He was just drafted too young. After three seasons, he is still only 23 years old. The hope is that he learns what it takes to be a good professional quarterback soon, whether that is with the Indianapolis Colts or elsewhere.