Time for the Colts, Richardson to Put Up or Shut Up

The Indianapolis Colts season is in the books. It’s safe to say the 2024-25 version was a disappointment both off the field and on the field. The wins didn’t come easy. The losses seemed worse. A locker room that fans were told was a united front seemed to show cracks and maybe even fractures with players sounding off on former players like Pat McAfee and even calling into question other veterans in the locker room and their commitment to the team. The playoffs were once again an unattainable goal and yet, it appears the Colts will run it all back in 2025 with General Manager Chris Ballard, head coach Shane Steichen and quarterback Anthony Richardson. 

It appears that all three men are tied at the hip next season. Ballard enters Year 9, one that finally (possibly, maybe, could be) his final one with the team if things don’t turn around. He seemed to say as much in his end of season press conference and said owner Jim Irsay told him to “fix it” and that he wouldn’t hamstring the future of the franchise with his decisions in the upcoming off-season. Ballard has tied his fate to Steichen and Richardson, both of which will enter a critical Year 3 next season.

Steichen was hired to get the best out of Richardson and vice versa. As of now, it’s been a mixed bag to put it nicely, one that hasn’t made either guy look even remotely close to what fans were hoping for. Steichen’s offensive gameplan and Richardson’s skillset do not seem to mesh as of yet, which means Ballard is banking on both of them to get on the same page in what could be a make-or-break season for them as much as it is for them.

When it comes to Richardson, despite two years in the NFL, he seems almost as raw as he was when he first arrived in the NFL. A shoulder injury hampered his rookie season, and this year not only did he miss four game due to injury but also for being benched when it was determined he needed to take things more seriously when it comes to preparation. It was not a glowing look on the former fourth overall pick and certainly did Richardson no favors in the eyes of fans and national media following the infamous “tap out” incident against the Texans.

Richardson’s performance largely fluctuated game to game and even drive to drive this season. He would make some throws that made fans’ collective jaw hit the floor and would follow it up with a bunch of others that made them bury their heads in their hands or worse. Statistically, he was one of the worst quarterbacks in the league in 2024. 

 He started 11 games but only finished with 1,814 yards passing, which ranked 33rd in the NFL (only one spot and 53 yards better than backup Joe Flacco) and surrounded by the likes of Cooper Rush, Mac Jones, Deshaun Watson, Spencer Rattler and Drew Lock. Not exactly good company. His 47.7 completion percentage was dead last among 36 quarterbacks. His eight touchdown passes ranked 34th while his 12 interceptions were tied for the fourth-most in the league. His quarterback rating of 61.6 was the third-worst only behind the likes of Browns backups Bailey Zappe and Dorian Thompson-Robinson.

Those stats are even uglier when you start looking at the other quarterbacks taken in and around Anthony Richardson the last two drafts. CJ Stroud is clearly the star of the 2023 Draft, but even Bryce Young, who looked like an outright bust in his rookie season showed progress this season to at least show that he has improved and can hopefully get better. When it comes to the 2024 Draft, it’s not even a contest. Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye and Bo Nix have already surpassed what Richardson has shown thus far. Of those two drafts, Richardson is lumped in with Will Levis, a guy who was taken 29 picks after Richardson and Michael Penix Jr., who barely played this season due to the contract the Falcons handed to Kirk Cousins last off-season.  

It's not all on Richardson. Yes, he needs to improve exponentially but it also falls on the organization and coaching. Chris Ballard neglected the quarterback position in the draft for multiple years after Andrew Luck retired, opting for veterans on the last legs of their career instead. It flamed out time and again. When it finally got to the point where he had to draft a QB, the Colts had the fourth overall pick and didn’t have the pick of the litter. They went with Richardson, who was incredibly raw but wowed at the NFL Combine. The Colts paired first-time head coach Shane Steichen with one of the rawest quarterback prospects ever and basically asked him to turn him into Jalen Hurts. It hasn’t looked anywhere close to that yet and experts are not sold that Steichen has fully built his offense around what Richardson’s strengths are. Is it stubbornness or an inability to actually get “it” out of him? It’s still too early to tell. But it feels like two guys pulling at the rope on opposite ends instead of together. 

On top of all that, instead of preaching patience with a rookie quarterback, the Colts named Richardson the starter after a brief preseason appearance and threw him into the NFL fire. They also put more importance on “winning now” than development of Richardson. The playoff drought, the season-opening losing streak, the losing streak at Jacksonville—it all fell on Richardson’s shoulders to fix out of the gate.  

The Anthony Richardson experiment so far has been a failure for all parties involved. All parties have preached things will be different in 2025, but a fan base that is growing extremely impatient with a team doesn’t bode well for a quarterback that requires enormous amounts of patience. Maybe too much patience. Can AR finally find his footing in what is looking like a potential last straw in 2025? Chris Ballard has stated the hand holding of their quarterback needs to end and his need to remain healthy is critical. The financial components really start coming into light this next season with the Colts needing some sort of answer on Richardson, good or bad, especially when they need to start thinking about potential a fifth-year option or even an extension.  

The pressure is rising in Indianapolis. Not just for Anthony Richardson but for his coach, Shane Steichen, his GM, Chris Ballard and a fanbase that is sick of sitting on the sidelines when the playoffs roll around. It’s time for Anthony Richardson to answer the bell. If he can.