It's no secret that Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson is heading into a crucial season for his NFL future.
Following two seasons of unrest for Richardson in Indianapolis, his third year will be one that could truly set him apart, for better or for worse. He'll start the season off in a quarterback battle alongside offseason addition Daniel Jones, will be under a microscope across the course of the year if he does win said competition, and if he doesn't prove himself to be worthy of being the Colts' long-term franchise guy, could be out of the mix as soon as next offseason.
So, it's safe to say the stakes are high for 2025, and perhaps at some of the highest across the NFL.
Around The NFL's Nick Shook stacked up 17 of the top players in the NFL entering a "make-or-break" season of sorts, where Richardson was squarely in the mix, as this season could be one to define his future as a starting pro quarterback.
"A quick rehash of the Richardson career arc leaves us with two main themes: He's an incredibly gifted athlete with sky-high potential, and he’s also lacked the consistency to hold down the Colts’ starting job," Shook wrote. "Indianapolis' patience ran thin with Richardson in 2024, so the team added competition for him this offseason with the signing of Daniel Jones. As the fourth overall pick of the 2023 draft, Richardson was an expensive investment. Such investments don't guarantee long leashes, though, which Richardson has already learned. We'll see if the pressure has inspired improvement, or if Richardson will be usurped by another former first-rounder in Jones."
Richardson has the pieces in the fold this season to find his way to that confidence as the long-term starter. Offensively, the Colts have a ton of intriguing weapons to utilize, whether you look in the backfield or within the receiving unit, there's a nice supporting cast at his disposal. And on paper, the offensive line looks like it has the means to support the loss of two starters in Ryan Kelly and Will Fries, but time will tell.
However, it's up to Richardson to display those aspired strides in his consistency as an accurate thrower and limiting his turnovers. He threw under a 50% completion rate and gave up 21 combined interceptions across his second season, and if those numbers keep up into this one, that's trending more towards "breaking" it, as opposed to "making" it.
We all know Richardson has a nearly unmatched ceiling, and that's exactly why he found his way as the Colts' top-five pick. But, if things don't click this season, he might not ever get the chance to see that time to grow into that top prospect he was once projected to be, or at least not in Indianapolis.
The potential is still there for Richardson to tap into and continue his road to being the Colts' franchise guy, but it has to start with a productive 2025 showing. Or else, things could get ugly.
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