Colts unlikely to trade Anthony Richardson

Anthony Richardson His NFL career didn’t have the smoothest start. After recently being replaced in favor of a veteran reserve Joe FlaccoMultiple teams have reportedly approached Indianapolis in hopes of acquiring the 22-year-old passer. According to FOX Sports’ Jordan Schultz, “a trade is considered unlikely.”

There are several factors that contributed to Richardson’s move to the bench. The league’s low completion percentage of no-pressure, no-pressure, no-flare, no-flare, no-open-door passes has raised many questions about his ability as a passer. Additionally, there are ongoing draft concerns about his medical history after he missed all but four games in his rookie season and also missed two games this year due to injury.

The Colts’ decision to start Flacco could have been for two reasons: they believed Flacco gave them their best chance to win games this year, or they didn’t want to force Richardson to continue broadcasting his struggles on national television. However, the admission that he left last week’s game due to fatigue was seen as the “last straw” for the Colts, ultimately benching Richardson.

While protecting the quarterback’s feelings may seem like an unsatisfactory argument, we’ve seen it before in the NFL. On the rookie side, franchises want to build confidence in their young passers by giving them snaps early to help them become familiar with the speed of the pro game. Sometimes when a young quarterback struggles in a game and the team loses, we see a backup step up to help. This serves the purpose of keeping the young passer healthy and at the same time protecting his confidence from being lost by a team that is already all the better for him.

Likewise, some experts, such as Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, argue that the Colts can protect Richardson from a potentially disastrous matchup with the Vikings on the national stage on Sunday Night Football tonight. If they really don’t want to give up on Richardson as the future of their team, they might be interested in keeping his confidence high by avoiding tough matchups.

It appears the Colts haven’t given up on Richardson’s long-term development. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, in a meeting with team management, Richardson was given examples such as Jordan Love And Alex Smith — quarterbacks who found their way to the NFL years later. His team hasn’t given up on him as captain of the offense and defense, defensive back. Quenton Nelson and protective gear DeForest BucknerBoth expressed the belief that the locker room believes in Richardson’s continued development, according to ESPN’s Stephen Holder.

Many other team executives around the league have questioned the Colts’ decision-making. Some, in hindsight, say the right decision would have been to bench Richardson as a rookie without pushing him out or allowing him to develop on the bench, according to Jeff Howe of The Athletic. Others have noted that while playing Flacco may give them a better chance to win right now, benching Richardson is shortsighted when considering future seasons.

This seems to be a microcosm of the NFL’s larger problem with quarterback development. Together with Bryce Young In Carolina, Richardson is the second-best quarterback selected in the 2023 draft who will be benched in place of a seasoned veteran this season. Especially when veteran quarterbacks who struggled early in their careers like Sam Darnold, Geno Smith, Baker Mayfieldand even Justin Fieldshaving had success with more appropriate systems after years of development, we’re starting to see a return to the view in the NFL that maybe it’s better for rookies to sit back and learn.

For now, that appears to be Indianapolis’ intention. Grizzled veteran Flacco will take the reins tonight. Richardson will have the opportunity to make a full recovery while watching and learning from a Super Bowl-winning quarterback who has worked with five different teams during his career. This change should not be taken as the end of Richardson’s chances as a starter. Many believe he will take his place in the offense under center again at some point, and there are still those who believe that will happen in Indianapolis.