The Colts have ruled out Anthony Richardson for their Week 17 matchup with the Giants, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Joe Flacco will make his fourth start of the season in Richardson’s absence, with Sam Ehlinger serving as the backup quarterback. Sunday will be Flacco’s seventh appearance and fourth start of the season. He has completed 66.5 percent of his passes for 1,167 yards and nine touchdowns, along with five interceptions this year.
Richardson has been dealing with back and foot soreness all week, which sidelined him from practice, per Rapoport. Specifically, Richardson’s mobility and movement have been limited by back spasms, according to Joel Erickson of The Indianapolis Star. There was optimism earlier in the week that the second-year quarterback could play on Sunday, per ESPN’s Stephen Holder, but his lack of participation in Friday’s practice indicated otherwise.
Sunday’s game will be Richardson’s fifth absence of the season, and it could not come at a worse time for the Colts, who could be eliminated from playoff contention this week. If that happens, Indianapolis may opt to shut down its young quarterback altogether to give him a head start on healing up and preparing for the 2025 season.
Richardson’s durability has been a concern since he entered the league due to his physical playing style. He played in just four games as a rookie in 2024 before landing on injured reserve with a Grade 3 AC joint sprain. This year, an oblique injury sidelined him in Weeks 5 and 6 before trouble arose with his back and foot later in the season.
Richardson admitted on Tuesday that his 86 rushing attempts (fifth-most among quarterbacks) have taken a toll on him physically.
"From the start of the season, you’re going to feel those hits the next day," Richardson said, via Holder. "In college I didn’t really get sore. But the NFL, it’s a different breed, different game. You have some grown men out there playing football, so it’s always a little different getting tackled by those guys."
Richardson’s durability isn’t the only concern surrounding his lack of availability. He was considered a raw quarterback prospect when the Colts selected him with the fourth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
With just 13 starts and a 54.7 percent completion rate in college, most evaluators believed that Richardson would need consistent playing time to kick-start his development in the pros. As he approaches the end of his second NFL season, the former Florida standout has played in just 15 games with a 50.6 percent completion rate and an 11:13 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
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The 2024 offseason expanded the $30M-per-year wide receiver club to six members. D.K. Metcalf, Ja’Marr Chase and Garrett Wilson have taken it to nine this year. Terry McLaurin is undoubtedly pushing to bump that number to 10, after seeing 2019 Day 2 classmates Metcalf and A.J. Brown land among that contingent. McLaurin reported to training camp Sunday and landed on the active/PUP list. As our Rory Parks explained, skepticism exists about how injured the Commanders’ top wide receiver really is. An ankle injury has keyed the PUP stay, but it can be safely assumed McLaurin would be ready to practice if an extension comes to pass. Nevertheless, the Commanders have been surprised by the difficulty of these talks. Using an injury to avoid practicing while negotiating — developments the Jonathan Taylor and Micah Parsons sagas brought — represents a third tactic, joining the holdout and the increasingly utilized hold-in amid extension talks. McLaurin shifted from a holdout to the injury route; no matter how he is accomplishing not practicing, the seventh-year veteran is aiming to land a lucrative third contract. His age provides a complication for Washington. McLaurin is going into an age-30 season, separating him from Brown and Metcalf. Both Ole Miss products were drafted just before McLaurin, a 2019 third-round pick, but they are each two years younger. This strengthened their cases for big-ticket third contracts. McLaurin went first to ignite the second-tier boom on the receiver market in 2022, agreeing to a three-year, $69.6M extension. That shaped the Metcalf and Deebo Samuel extensions, both of which coming in higher than McLaurin’s despite the latter’s consistency with suboptimal quarterback situations. McLaurin’s AAV has dropped to 17th at wide receiver. The Commanders are prepared to extend their top wideout, but Sportskeeda.com’s Tony Pauline indicates the "holdup" is regarding the $30M-AAV number. Some around the league point to the team not wanting to go into that neighborhood for McLaurin, despite his five 1,000-yard seasons. Courtland Sutton and McLaurin are nearly the same age, and the Broncos’ top target signed a four-year, $92M extension. That matches where the Titans went for Calvin Ridley (now 30) in 2024. McLaurin, though, has a better resume than both and should be aiming higher. The Commanders have a Jayden Daniels rookie contract to structure another McLaurin extension around as well. Adam Peters was around for the 49ers’ 2022 Samuel extension but not Brandon Aiyuk‘s $30M-per-year deal. (The Samuel extension also did not work out for the 49ers, who proceeded with a salary dump of sorts by trading him to the Commanders.) The second-year GM taking a hardline stance with McLaurin would be an interesting route given the WR’s importance to a sudden contender. Peters confirmed talks are ongoing, with that comment coming after McLaurin expressed frustration about the negotiations. A potential gap between the pack of 20-somethings (and Tyreek Hill) north of $30M AAV and the Tee Higgins–Jaylen Waddle–D.J. Moore tier could be relevant here, and it will be interesting to see if McLaurin settles for something just south of that $30MM benchmark. Guarantees and contract structure, of course, will be important to determining the value as well. A short-term extension should be reached soon, per Pauline, but if the Commanders hold the line at or around $30M, the McLaurin matter could drag on for a while longer.
The Detroit Tigers have been unstoppable at the plate lately, and Tuesday night was no different. The Tigers defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks, 12-2, giving them 27 runs in the last three games. A big contributor to their offense on Tuesday was outfielder Wenceel Perez, who joined Sam Crawford (1912), Ossie Vitt (1915) and Ty Cobb (1924, 1916, 1915) as the only four players in franchise history to have a single, double, triple and two stolen bases in the same game. Perez began his historic night with a double off Diamondbacks starter Brandon Pfaadt in the second inning before adding a single in the fourth. A monster fifth inning put the Tigers ahead 8-2 after an early 2-0 deficit, which set the stage for a three-run sixth inning that included this triple from Perez off Arizona's Jake Woodford to give Detroit a 10-2 lead. Perez scored two more runs, one in the sixth and the other in eighth, to give the Tigers their final two runs in a 12-run outburst. Overall, Perez had three hits in five at-bats, scored four runs and added one RBI to go with his historic statline. Given his performance over the past month, it was surprising to see Perez show out against Arizona. After all, he did not have a single hit the last two games, and he only recorded more than one hit once in 20 games the entire month coming into Tuesday. The Tigers were once the hottest team in baseball when they held a 59-34 record on July 8. Since then, they suffered a slump that includes a six-game losing streak. Suddenly, Detroit has won its last three and scored 10 or more runs in two of those victories. As good as the offense has been, the pitching has been solid as well with the Tigers outscoring their opponents 27-7 during the three-game stretch. Yes, the last two wins have come against a struggling Diamondbacks team that sits fourth in the NL West with a 51-57 record. Still, they have taken care of business and won handily. The next step is getting healthy and having someone to pair with ace Tarik Skubal in the rotation. Right-hander Chris Paddack was added to the 26-man roster and is set to start Wednesday, while free agent signing Alex Cobb is beginning his rehab assignment. The Tigers will go for the sweep of the Diamondbacks on Wednesday before traveling to Philadelphia for a weekend series against the Phillies. It will be difficult to top Perez's historic outing from Tuesday, but if momentum is any indication, the Tigers may only be getting started, especially if the pitching depth is there.
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are the two best players currently on the ATP Tour, with either man having won every Grand Slam this season. With their fan base divided, Polish WTA star Iga Swiatek has chimed in on the debate. Both men have established a professional rivalry that will likely go down in tennis history, with Alcaraz currently leading 8-5 in career meetings. The Spaniard defeated Sinner in the final to win the Roland Garros title earlier this year. However, Sinner avenged his loss a few weeks later, dethroning Alcaraz after defeating the defending champion in the final to win his first Wimbledon title. Swiatek joined Sinner in the winner's circle at SW19, as the former World No.1 powered through the field to win her maiden Wimbledon title. Swiatek dropped only one set en route to the final, where she soundly defeated American Amanda Anisimova in the final. Although Sinner sits on top of the ATP rankings after having won two Grand Slam titles this season, Swiatek admitted to employing the same approach as Alcaraz. The WTA star stated she preferred his more laid-back approach, in addition to his commitment to taking some personal time away from tennis. Alcaraz's approach suits her better, says Swiatek "I wish I was more like Carlos because I have got to say he is a big inspiration in terms of that,” said Swiatek in an interview with TVA Sports. “He always says that the most important thing for him on a tennis court is to enjoy it and have fun and I sometimes forget about that. “And sometimes with all the pressure around and things we need to do off the court, you need to remind yourself about this kid that started playing tennis, instead of winning for somebody and having this baggage on your shoulders. “For sure, when Carlos shows that and when he speaks about that, it is always a good reminder for me, and I try to do that as well, but without me working on it, I think my mind would automatically go to just working, working, working." The Warsaw native is competing at the 2025 Canadian Open in Montreal, where she is the second seed. Swiatek will kick off her campaign with a second round clash against China's Guo Hanyu on Wednesday.
With less than 48 hours to go until the 2025 MLB trade deadline, the New York Yankees are still flirting with the Pittsburgh Pirates over some pitching. According to insider Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Yankees and Pirates are still discussing reliever David Bednar and starter Mitch Keller on Tuesday night. But while there’s interest in both arms, the Yankees might not like the price. “Bednar is a target. Keller interests them, too, but the price tag might discourage them,” Heyman reported Tuesday. That lines up with what we’ve seen from the Yankees so far this month. They’ve been aggressive in scouting relievers but cautious about overpaying, especially for pitchers under long-term control. Bednar, who has a 4.19 ERA and 16 saves in 2025, would fill a pressing need for a club that ranks near the bottom of the league in bullpen ERA for July. His late-inning experience and high ground-ball rate make him a logical fit. Keller, meanwhile, would be a luxury at this point, especially after Luis Gil’s impending return. The right-hander is having a bounce-back year for the Pirates, with a 3.56 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and a team-leading 121 strikeouts in 125 innings. But he’s under team control through 2028, and Pittsburgh doesn’t appear eager to move him unless blown away. That’s likely where the Yankees’ caution kicks in. The team has shown a willingness to deal mid-tier prospects but has reportedly been hesitant to part with top-end talent like Cam Schlittler or Spencer Jones, especially for non-rental pieces. Still, the fact that conversations have occurred shows that even in the wake of Aaron Judge’s injury news, the Yankees remain active on both the bullpen and rotation fronts. The Yankees front office is casting a wide net. With time running out, names like Bednar and Keller remain firmly in the mix.
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