This past week, the Indianapolis Colts made the decision to bench Anthony Richardson in favor of veteran Joe Flacco.
In short, and as head coach Shane Steichen put it, Flacco gives the Colts the best chance to win. They currently sit at 4-4 and are a half-game back of the final playoff spot in the AFC.
While Flacco may give Indianapolis the best opportunity to end their playoff drought, Steichen also made it known that the team isn’t giving up on Richardson either, despite the benching.
However, although giving the young quarterback an opportunity to take a step back and develop as the backup sounds great, recent history tells us that Richardson coming back and being the guy for the Colts would be a rare feat.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, from 2000-2022, 66 quarterbacks have been selected in the first round of the NFL draft. Of those players, 25 were benched at some point while on their rookie deals and only Mitch Trubisky came back from that benching to start in a playoff game or be selected to a Pro Bowl with the team that drafted him.
Based on history, this looks like the beginning of the end of Anthony Richardson’s time in Indianapolis. From 2000-2022, there were 66 quarterbacks selected in the first round of the NFL draft, and 25 of those QBs were benched at some point while on their rookie contract. Mitch… pic.twitter.com/sK8aCZpKg3
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 3, 2024
It was known when Richardson was drafted that he was an extremely talented but raw player, who needed time to develop. Up until recently, the Colts preached the importance of patience with him.
But now, the Colts once again find themselves at a crossroads at the quarterback position. Flacco will turn 40 years old in January, and the inexperienced Richardson who needs playing time, will enter next season with still just 10 career regular season starts if Flacco remains at the helm for the remainder of 2024, which does seem to be the plan.
Of course, none of the previous outcomes highlighted above have any sort of impact on Richardson and his future with the Colts, and this doesn’t mean that Richardson won’t go on to find success. Each scenario is completely independent of the others.
According to Ian Rapoport on Sunday, Richardson has responded well over the last week:
“While this past week was no doubt brutal for him, the Colts have already seen signs in practice — based on his preparation and attention to detail — that he’s begun doing things differently. That he’s been preparing like a starter must,” wrote Rapoport.
“It lit a fire under him” is how one source termed the benching. If that’s the case, that’s a great outcome for the Colts. Many members of the organization still hold out hope Richardson can be the player Indianapolis drafted him to be with the No. 4 overall pick of the 2023 draft.”
However, the process that Indianapolis is about to undertake with Richardson is not one that has worked out well for others in the past.
