INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay wore a sullen look late on the evening of Aug. 24, 2019, as he watched the centerpiece of his franchise abruptly walk away from the game.
Andrew Luck was done with the NFL, the former Pro Bowl quarterback announcing his retirement in the hours after a preseason game. The news hit Irsay hard because he anticipated what was to come.
The ensuing seasons proved difficult for his team, bouncing from one veteran quarterback to the next, each potential solution more insufficient than the last.
Their boldest attempt at a resolution, the selection of Anthony Richardson with the fourth overall pick in 2023, was supposed to bring the quarterback carousel to a stop. But on Tuesday, the Colts raised a host of new questions by benching Richardson amid a challenging second season in favor of 39-year-old veteran Joe Flacco.
It’s a dramatic change in approach for the Colts, who are prioritizing the fate of their current season over the long-term development of their franchise quarterback. The Colts insist they aren’t through with Richardson, who, at 22, was the NFL’s youngest starting quarterback. What any of this means for the long term remains to be seen.
The Colts became enamored with Richardson before the draft, selecting him after he made 13 starts at Florida and vowing to commit to his success.
“It’s going to be tough,” Irsay said then. “We know that. But he has to play to get better. There’s no question… We have to get Anthony on the field.”
Head coach Shane Steichen, who was hired three months before Richardson was drafted with the understanding he would help develop a young quarterback, added at the time: “Guys have to get reps and learn the system and learn the offense. We’ve got to build this thing around the quarterback.”
As of Tuesday, that building process was put on hold.
Richardson has the second-lowest completion percentage — 44.4% — of any player in the past 20 years with at least 100 pass attempts in a season. He also has the second-highest interception rate (5.3%) this season, behind the Carolina Panthers’ Bryce Young.
After Richardson’s 10-for-32 passing performance in a loss to the Houston Texans on Sunday, Steichen on Monday said he had been considering his options and was “evaluating” the position.
That evaluation led Steichen and his staff to Flacco, who will start Sunday night’s game at the Minnesota Vikings with the 4-4 Colts in contention in a tight AFC race. The Texans (6-2) lead the division.
Steichen on Monday said Richardson’s much-criticized decision to remove himself from Sunday’s game for one play after consecutive runs because he “was tired” would play no role in his personnel decisions.
Instead, the Colts say they are being driven by a tough upcoming slate that includes Minnesota, the Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions.
“Right now, obviously, sitting at .500, we’re right in the thick of this thing,” Steichen said this week. “We’ve got to start hitting our stride. November is coming up. November, December, we’ve got to play our best ball.
“Everything we want to achieve is out in front of us, and we’ve got to go get it.”
FLACCO HAS PLAYED well since his surprising late-season run with the Cleveland Browns last season, when he won the Comeback Player of the Year award. Since 2023, he ranks first in yards per game (309.1) and touchdowns per game (2.6) for QBs with a minimum of five starts. He also has four games in which he’s recorded 300 passing yards and three passing touchdowns, tied with Lamar Jackson, Dak Prescott and Baker Mayfield for the most in the NFL in that same span.
Oddsmakers gave the underdog Colts a small boost after Tuesday’s news, adjusting the Colts-Vikings point spread from Colts +6 to +5.5. Also Tuesday, ESPN Analytics adjusted its playoff model to reflect the move and determined the Colts have a 64% chance of making the postseason with Flacco versus 46% with Richardson, according to ESPN Research.
“He’s a guy that’s been doing it for a long time,” Steichen said earlier this month. “He’s seen a lot of football, which is huge at that position.”
That gives Flacco an advantage over the talented Richardson, who is tied with the Chicago Bears’ No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 draft, Mitch Trubisky, for the fewest college starts for a quarterback chosen in the first round.
But there will be some differences with Flacco under center.
The Colts will not be as dynamic in the running game because Richardson provided significant rushing potential as a dual-threat quarterback. Richardson is sixth among quarterbacks with 242 rushing yards, despite missing two games with an oblique injury.
The Colts might also have fewer explosive plays. Richardson led the NFL in air yards per pass attempt (12.3). That might have been largely offset by his historically low completion rate, but it also resulted in big plays. The Colts lead the NFL with 44 pass attempts of 20 yards or longer, and Richardson has touchdown passes of 69, 60 and 54 yards this season.
The Colts are banking on Flacco’s consistency being a net gain for their offense. In four games this season, Flacco completed 65.7% of his passes — averaging 6.6 yards per play — and throwing seven touchdowns and one interception.
THE LONG-TERM impact of Tuesday’s decision is murkier.
After the Colts’ long wait to reset their quarterback position, could they be in for more uncertainty at the position?
One team source indicated that is not the expectation.
The source was adamant “we are not quitting on Anthony. That will be the story, but that is not the case,” adding Richardson’s benching and resulting downtime could be a “growth opportunity.”
The Colts named Richardson their starter after one preseason game in his rookie season. Richardson ended up playing four games as a rookie because of injuries, including a season-ending injury to his throwing shoulder. He completed 59.5% of his passes last season with three touchdowns and one interception.
“Taking a step back can be a good thing,” the team source said.
Richardson, a source close to the player said, was hit hard by the news. But that source indicated he believes Richardson will handle the demotion professionally and remain ready if called upon.
If Richardson does not ultimately become the Colts’ franchise quarterback, what will it mean for general manager Chris Ballard and Steichen? Ballard was hired in 2017 and the Colts haven’t won a playoff game since 2018. They haven’t qualified for the postseason since 2020.
Steichen’s quarterback expertise was a driving force behind his hire, particularly his success with Jalen Hurts as Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator.
“Knowing that we’re going to have to find a young quarterback to develop, that’s a key factor,” Irsay said when introducing Steichen as his new coach in February 2023.
The Colts’ future remains uncertain at the most important position. The relief Irsay felt on the night Richardson was drafted has been replaced with the reality that the Colts can’t say right now who will be their quarterback next season.
When it comes to quarterback, the Colts, for now, are back where they started: Looking for answers.