Colts' Anthony Richardson Under NFL's Harshest Microscope

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson is undoubtedly entering a critical season for his future in the NFL.

In his third-year pro, not only is Richardson entering the season facing off in an interesting quarterback battle against Daniel Jones to determine this team's Week One starter, but if things go south with him facing inconsistency across the course of the year and his production stumbles, it could lead to some major questions as to if he could truly be Indianapolis' face of the franchise.

But just how high are the stakes Richardson is entering this season with? In the eyes of some, he could have some of the most pressure to perform of anyone in the NFL.

FOX Sports analyst Ben Arthur outlined 10 players for next season who come in with the most to prove across 2025, and in the case of Richardson, he ranked atop the list at number one.

"Despite being the No. 4 overall pick just two years ago, Richardson’s future in Indianapolis is uncertain," Arthur wrote. "He’s been incredibly inconsistent as a passer — evident by his lowly 50.6% career completion rate — and faced a two-game benching last season. He has also missed 17 games due to injury in two years. The Colts have brought in a challenger for the QB1 role in former first-round pick Daniel Jones, who signed a one-year, $14 million contract with Indianapolis ($13.15 million fully guaranteed)."

There's a lot for Richardson to accomplish for his third season in the mix with Indianapolis. Whether that encircles his health and lack of availability, his inaccuracy and inconsistencies as a passer, or his turnover and ball security issues, there's a lot for the 2023 first rounder to tweak ahead of the coming year in order to truly cement his status as the Colts' long-term option under center.

That's a lot that has to go right for Richardson. It's not to say that he doesn't have the talent to put the pieces together–– as he was the most physically talented player in the history of his position coming out of the draft–– but the situation at hand definitely adds a bit more pressure to perform sooner rather than later.

The tests for Richardson this season have already begun. With free agent acquisition Daniel Jones now in the room ready to compete for the starting quarterback job ahead of Week One, and offseason training now getting underway, that competition is currently brewing. Odds are, Richardson will ultimately be the one taking those initial snaps of the season, but the leash may remain a bit shorter than his last two campaigns.

Needless to say, it'll be a fascinating situation to unfold for both Richardson and the Colts across the course of next season, and might be the biggest component that could make or break the third year of the Shane Steichen era.

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