The Indianapolis Colts enter Week 17 with Anthony Richardson on the shelf after the second-year quarterback was ruled out for Sunday’s contest against the Giants due to a back and foot injury. While it will be Joe Flacco’s job in the immediate, it looks like Richardson’s status as Indy’s QB1 heading into 2025 is secure.
The former first-round pick is viewed as the presumptive starter for next season, according to NFL Media. The report notes that the Colts brass has been pleased with how Richardson has responded following his in-season benching before Week 9.
Richardson’s second season in the NFL was a tumultuous one, and it briefly looked like the former No. 4 overall pick was not going to be long as the Colts starter. That’s particularly true after that benching midway through the season, which came just days after he took himself out of Indy’s Week 8 matchup against the Texans due to fatigue. However, Richardson regained the starting job just a couple of weeks later in Week 11.
Since re-establishing himself as the starter, Richardson has led the Colts to a 3-2 record. While he’s continued to make plays with his legs (adding 257 yards rushing and five rushing touchdowns over this stretch), Richardson’s development as a passer still needs work. In this five-game stretch, Richardson has completed just 51.1% of his throws for 856 yards, four touchdowns and five interceptions.
He’s also dealt with durability issues, as evidenced by him missing Week 17. That said, these latest issues do not appear to be long-term concerns, which sets the stage for Richardson to have a full offseason, unlike last year when he was recovering from an AC joint injury. In theory, a full offseason should allow Richardson to further develop and hit the ground running on a more positive note in 2025.
For the Colts, they’ll enter the offseason with the mission to surround Richardson with enough resources to succeed rather than look for his successor.
