Colts 'Won't Consider' Moving On from Anthony Richardson

The Indianapolis Colts are a team in transition, whether that be for positive or negative reasons.

This offseason, they adjusted their approach and became more aggressive in free agency (or, if you ask them, just more successful). The goal was to rid the roster of complacency and entitlement and transition into a team with a more driven, forward-thinking mindset.

However, if all the moves they made this offseason are for naught and the team has a disappointing year, it's easy to imagine the new ownership transitioning into a new era of leadership in the front office and coaching ranks.

One area the Colts won't transition out of is having Anthony Richardson on the roster beyond the 2025 season, regardless of how the campaign goes -- at least not as long as Chris Ballard is the general manager.

Richardson was selected by the Colts with the fourth overall pick in the 2023 draft as a raw player who lacked experience at the college level but had unlimited pro potential. Over and over, the Colts stressed that Richardson's development would take patience, but at the same time, he wouldn't grow without getting reps. As a result, he was named the Colts' starting quarterback over veteran Gardner Minshew.

“He didn’t have enough experience, both from a play standpoint, but also a professional standpoint of how to get ready,” Ballard recently told Zak Keefer of The Athletic. “But, when you take one high, there’s an expectation. The pressure to play the kid is real.”

The fallout -- Richardson's injuries, brief benching in 2024, and Jekyll-and-Hyde play on the field -- resulted in the Colts conjuring a quarterback competition this summer, as Richardson and free-agent addition Daniel Jones go toe to toe for the right to be the Colts' quarterback. It's got Ballard viewing in hindsight.

"The GM (Ballard) caved to that pressure two years ago. He’s vowed he won’t, moving forward," Keefer wrote, regarding the pressure Ballard was under to force Richardson onto the field. "Ballard remains intent on playing the long game with the 23-year-old (Richardson), even if Richardson doesn’t beat out Jones for the starting job this season. In other words: The Colts won’t consider releasing or trading Richardson, even if his third season ends in disappointment."

Ballard and Colts would rather not be on the side of regret if they were to part with Richardson before he meets his potential and he flourishes with another team. Ballard cited Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield as recent examples of quarterback success stories who took multiple years before they became bona fide starters.

Whether or not Richardson -- who has generated much more external buzz during training camp than Jones -- comes out on top of the competition, expect him to survive his rookie contract with the Colts, which runs through 2026 (or even 2027 if they exercise his fifth-year option).

That is, of course, unless Ballard at some point no longer has a say in the matter.

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