Analyst rips Colts for one Anthony Richardson decision

Even though Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen has seemingly benched Anthony Richardson until further notice, it was reported that the Colts held onto the second-year quarterback through last week's trade deadline because they "have maintained that they still consider Richardson their future." 

Nevertheless, ESPN's Ben Solak suggested in a piece published Tuesday that the Colts should've moved on from Richardson with veteran Joe Flacco set to start for the 4-6 club as long as it's still in the playoff race. 

"Let this be a lesson in sunk cost for you young kids out there," Solak explained. "The Colts are clearly out on the Richardson experiment, and if you're out, you got to get out while the getting is good. I strongly believe the Colts could have gotten a top-70ish draft pick for Richardson had they traded him this past week. The Cardinals got a second-rounder for Josh Rosen in 2019 after they'd already drafted Kyler Murray, for Pete's sake!" 

Despite what Solak wrote, it's reasonable to believe at least some within the Colts don't want to give up on Richardson less than two full years after the club made him the fourth overall pick of the 2023 draft. After all, he recorded just 13 college starts while with the Florida Gators and has thus far made only 10 starts at the highest level. In short, he was always going to be a project for any club, and he's still a work in progress. 

It's also possible that the Colts didn't love any realistic offers they received for Richardson before the evening of Nov. 5 arrived. He's completed just 50.2% of his career pass attempts for 1,535 yards with seven touchdowns and eight interceptions. He also has a worrisome injury history and recently tapped himself out of a game because he was "tired."

Perhaps the Colts are banking on Richardson having a higher trade value in March 2025 than what it was last week. 

"Sure," Solak continued, "it hurts to take a guy with the fourth overall pick and flip him for, say, the 68th pick less than two years later. But if the Colts aren't going to develop Richardson, they should trade him while he's still developable. And they refused to do it. It beats me what the plan is from here." 

For now, the plan is for Flacco to try to guide the Colts to a win at the struggling New York Jets (3-7) this coming Sunday. As of Tuesday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook listed Indianapolis as a four-point underdog for that contest.