NFL executives react to Colts benching Anthony Richardson for Joe Flacco

Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen received criticism from some within the NFL community when he benched second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson in favor of veteran Joe Flacco for reasons that may or may not have been related to Richardson taking himself out of this past Sunday's loss to the Houston Texans because he was "tired."  

For a piece published Thursday, multiple executives from other NFL teams spoke with The Athletic's Jeff Howe about Steichen's polarizing decision. 

"He was further behind than a lot of QBs who have recently come into the league," one unnamed executive said about Richardson. Meanwhile, a second executive noted that Richardson "needs to play to gain experience and learn." 

Richardson recorded just 13 college starts while with the Florida Gators, and multiple injury setbacks limited him to 10 starts across his first two pro campaigns before he was relegated to QB2 duties this week. According to Pro Football Reference, he began Thursday ranked last in the league with a 44.4% completion percentage, a 32.4% passing success rate and a 57.2 passer rating for the ongoing season. Richardson is 28th out of 31 signal-callers with a 57.2 adjusted QBR. 

The Colts signed veteran Gardner Minshew in March 2023 before the club used the fourth overall pick of last year's draft to grab Richardson. Many assumed Richardson would sit through at least a significant portion of his debut NFL season, but Steichen instead named the then-rookie his Week 1 starter shortly after Indianapolis' first preseason game. 

"I’m not sure starting a guy like Anthony during his rookie year was very smart," a third executive told Howe. "If you spent time with him (before the draft), it was clear he was going to need at least a year to sit and learn what it takes to play QB in the NFL from a neck-up standpoint, preparation standpoint, etc. (That was a) disservice to him."

The Colts reportedly aren't giving up on Richardson, and the first executive told Howe that sitting the work-in-progress this fall "is not an admission (that Richardson is) a bust." However, Steichen may feel he has to keep Richardson a spectator through January if the young quarterback lost some members of the locker room due to the "tired" controversy.