The Anthony Richardson era in Indianapolis has not taken off as the former No. 4 overall pick struggled to find his footing as the Colts’ starting quarterback and ultimately ceded the job to Daniel Jones. That does not mean Richardson will never latch on as a starter, though, whether it be in Indianapolis or elsewhere. Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin made that point in defense of his quarterback after the rocky start to his career.
Longtime NBA guard Jeff Teague joked on the “Club 520” podcast that Richardson should move to the tight end position in an attempt to earn playing time. But Franklin staunchly stood up for the third-year pro and noted the bevy of NFL standouts who struggled out of the gate but later settled in as standouts.
“Let Baker [Mayfield], let Geno [Smith], let Jared Goff, let Sam Darnold, let Danny be an example that it ain’t ever over for a quarterback,” Franklin said. “When a quarterback’s got that much talent — we ain’t doing that. He’s still a part of the squad.”
Colts offense off to historic start with rejuvenated Daniel Jones leading Indianapolis to 2-0 record
Austin Nivison
Jones seemingly has a strong grasp on the job after a strong start to the season for the 2-0 Colts. The New York Giants castaway was an early first-round pick in his own right and was an embattled starter for the franchise that drafted him, but the fresh start in Indianapolis appears to have unlocked some of the potential that made him such a prized prospect out of Duke. He stands second on the NFL’s passing leaderboard through two weeks with 588 yards and, importantly, remains clean in the interception department.
Why can’t Richardson follow a similar trajectory? After all, like Franklin noted, Jones is far from the only quarterback who needed a few years or a change of scenery to round into form.
Richardson was always going to be somewhat of a project. He entered the NFL with only one year of starting experience at Florida and left a lot to be desired as a college passer, completing just 53.8% of his throws and tossing nine interceptions in his redshirt sophomore season. The hope was that his arm would develop to match his athleticism, which by NFL Combine measures is some of the best ever at the quarterback position.
The rushing ability carried over to the NFL as Richardson racked up 635 yards and 10 touchdowns across 15 starts the last two years. But the passing progress never materialized.
Indianapolis still has three years of control on Richardson’s rookie contract, including the option to pick up the 2027 season. There is still ample time for the 23-year-old to make the same strides that other late-developing quarterbacks made, and even for him to do it without changing teams.
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