Colts GM addresses if Anthony Richardson is entering make-or-break season

Indianapolis Colts principal owner and CEO Carlie Irsay-Gordon recently insisted that 2023 first-round draft pick Anthony Richardson "still has time to prove" that he can become the club's long-term franchise quarterback. 

While speaking with reporters on Tuesday, Colts general manager Chris Ballard was asked if Richardson is entering a make-or-break season as it pertains to his tenure with the organization. 

According to James Boyd of The Athletic, Ballard suggested that teams now "regret" giving up on Baker Mayfield of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Sam Darnold of the Seattle Seahawks. Multiple clubs discarded Mayfield and Darnold earlier in their careers, but both have since earned big-money contracts. 

"Sometimes you gotta have a little patience and let them grow through things," Ballard said about young signal-callers. "If you just know, 'This guy, no, he can’t do it,' (then you move on). But if you think, 'Hey, he’s on the right trajectory,' why are you gonna flush him just because people on the outside think you should flush him? I don’t agree with that. I think we need to give Anthony every chance to be the best he could be. I think he can be really good, but things gotta come together."

Ballard and head coach Shane Steichen clearly intend to give Richardson only so many more chances to remain atop the depth chart, as the 23-year-old will spend training camp competing with free-agency signing Daniel Jones for the Indianapolis QB1 gig. Richardson was shut down from throwing in late May after he experienced pain in his surgically-repaired shoulder, but Ballard shared on Tuesday that the third-year pro resumed throwing roughly three weeks ago.

Outside of a two-game benching, injuries limited Richardson to 15 starts out of 32 contests over the past two seasons. Meanwhile, there reportedly was more interest in Jones among teams earlier in the offseason than people realize even though he went 3-13 over his final 16 starts with the New York Giants from September 2023 through last fall. Jones previously helped the 2022 Giants earn a playoff berth and notch a postseason victory. 

"Being in New York and the scrutiny on being a top 10 pick, it’s not for everybody," Ballard said about Jones, the sixth overall selection of the 2019 draft. "But I thought he handled it with grace and class like you would expect, and that’s who he is. Daniel’s a very talented player, so it’ll be a fun competition to watch between these two guys. They’re both very talented."

 

As of Wednesday morning, FanDuel Sportsbook had Richardson as a -130 betting favorite to start the Colts' Week 1 game versus the Miami Dolphins over Jones (+102). It will be interesting to see if those odds change after Indianapolis opens the preseason with a matchup at the Baltimore Ravens on Aug. 7.