Anthony Richardson To Start Colts Preseason Opener

While a divorce once seemed imminent between the Colts and Anthony Richardson, it’s now seeming increasingly likely that the former fourth-overall pick is sticking in Indy for another season.

Richardson will have a chance to show what he’s got on Thursday. Coach Shane Steichen told reporters that Richardson will start the team’s preseason opener against the Patriots, per Ben Volin of the Boston Globe.

Richardson showed flashes through his first two NFL seasons, but he lost his hold on the QB1 gig during his sophomore campaign. Daniel Jones beat him out for the starting job ahead of the 2025 campaign and had one of the best statistical seasons of his career. Richardson could have been an option to retake the role when Jones went down with a season-ending injury, but the 2023 first rounder suffered a fracture to the orbital bone in his eye that limited him to only two cameo appearances.

The Colts predictably declined Richardson’s fifth-year option this past offseason, making him an impending free agent heading into the 2026 season. With Jones re-signed and Riley Leonard still around, Richardson was clearly on the outside looking in. The QB requested a trade that never came to fruition, and while it once seemed unlikely that Richardson would even make it to the 53-man roster, the Colts have kept the door open to retaining him for at least one more year.

Leonard has reportedly outperformed Richardson during camp and has the inside track on the QB2 gig. Still, the team is reportedly open to keeping three quarterbacks on their active roster. Easton Stick was added as an additional training camp body and could push Richardson for the QB3 job. But for at least the time being, it seems like the Colts are giving Richardson every opportunity to retain his roster spot.