Colts' Biggest Offseason Decision? How to Proceed with Anthony Richardson

Whatever happens this offseason, Anthony Richardson is all but guaranteed the opportunity to remain the Indianapolis Colts' starting quarterback for 2025.

While the Colts genuinely want to see Richardson's development through, there also are no great options to find a new starting quarterback this offseason.

There are a couple of potential starting quarterbacks in the 2025 NFL Draft with Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders, but they're unlikely to be available for the Colts at pick 14. There also are no impending free agents who are long-term options. Sam Darnold caught fire in his first year with the Minnesota Vikings last season, but is that enough to invest long-term at the price he's likely to command?

These factors strip down the Colts' options this offseason, but that doesn't mean that the Colts will remain stagnant at the position. Especially considering Richardson has missed 17 games due to injury in his two-year career, so getting a backup who is simply a spot filler is not an option.

According to Bradley Locker of Pro Football Focus, how to approach the quarterback position this offseason is the Colts' biggest roster decision of the offseason:

Without question, Richardson will be one of the NFL players under the most scrutiny in 2025. His sophomore season was a topsy-turvy one that ended in only a 62.2 PFF overall grade — leaving Indianapolis with lingering long-term concerns.

As of now, the assumption appears that Richardson will get another shot at being the starter next season. After all, he did play slightly better following his benching, recording 74.7 PFF overall and 70.3 PFF passing grades from Weeks 11-16. But two straight poor starts, injury questions and even leadership have become inextricable from Richardson.

The Colts will need to add another backup to Richardson with Joe Flacco hitting free agency, but the key question is how aggressive they want to be in that quarterback market. Signing someone like Russell Wilson could easily signal a shift back to QB2 status for Richardson, while an option like Jameis Winston could cultivate more of a competition. Whatever moves general manager Chris Ballard makes at quarterback next to Richardson will speak volumes about how the organization feels.

The Colts' current backup quarterback, Joe Flacco, is a 40-year-old free agent who most recently declined mightily from the season before, so he is unlikely to be "the other quarterback."

Indy could sign someone capable of competing with Richardson for the starting role, like Russell Wilson or Justin Fields. The Colts could get someone as an insurance policy who they're more comfortable starting if Richardson misses time with injury (or poor play), such as Jameis Winston or Andy Dalton, or the Colts could go the reclamation project route with someone like Daniel Jones or Mac Jones (please know that Carson Wentz or Zach Wilson is not going to happen).

Again, this just simply is not a great offseason to go big-game hunting for your franchise quarterback. So, while the Colts likely do feel like they owe it to themselves (and Richardson) to see the relationship through, it's also their best, most cost-effective option.