Stephen Holder, ESPNO Oct 29, 2024, 1:41pm ET
CloseStephen joined ESPN in 2022, where he covers the Indianapolis Colts and the NFL overall. Stephen was a first-place columnist in the 2015 Indiana Associated Press Media Editors Contest, and is a past top-10 winner in explanatory journalism in the National Associated Press Sports Editors Contest. He has chronicled the NFL since 2005, covering the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2005 to 2013 and the Colts since 2013. He previously worked for the Miami Herald, Tampa Bay Times, Indianapolis Star and The Athletic.
The Indianapolis Colts are benching Anthony Richardson and turning to Joe Flacco as their starting quarterback, sources told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and Adam Schefter.
Colts coaches met Tuesday morning and ultimately decided to change quarterbacks, sources told Fowler and Schefter, choosing Flacco over the struggling Richardson.
The benching came two days after Richardson was asked to sit out Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans for one game because, as he later told reporters, “he was tired.”
Colts coach Shane Steichen said Monday he is evaluating the quarterback situation on the team, adding that Richardson’s request to sit out the game will not be a factor in his decision.
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Internally, the Colts maintain that Richardson’s time as the franchise’s starting quarterback is far from over.
One team source described being benched as a “growth opportunity” and also insisted that the Colts “are not giving up on Anthony.”
“That would be the story, but that’s not the case,” the source told ESPN.
Richardson, even in year two with the Colts, remains the youngest quarterback in the NFL at 22 years old. He was drafted before his 21st birthday and just 13 years after starting at the University of Florida.
The Colts were adamant that Richardson needed to play in order to grow as a player, which led to their decision to start him as a starter. He was named the starter over Gardner Minshew in training camp in 2023 after just one preseason game.
The move to Richardson’s seat therefore represents a significant departure from the organisation’s previous thinking.
“Taking a step back can be a good thing,” the team source said.
A source close to Richardson described him as deeply affected by the news. But this source also indicated that Richardson would handle the demotion professionally and would be ready if asked.
Richardson completed just 10 of 32 passes for 175 yards in Sunday’s loss to Houston. He told Steichen he “needed a break out there” as he left the game in the third quarter, tapping his helmet.
The No. 4 pick in last year’s draft, Richardson has a 44.4% completion rate this season, the fifth-worst in a player’s first six games of a season since 2000, according to ESPN research.
Steichen did not defend Richardson’s decision to leave the game, saying Monday he had a private conversation with the second-year quarterback and adding, “You can’t put yourself out there, and it’s a learning experience for him and he’s got to grow from it.” “He-she.”
Colts center Ryan Kelly, the longest-tenured player on the current roster, said Richardson “knows this is not the level he needs to play at the level the rest of the team holds at him.”
The Colts (4-4) will now turn to Flacco, 39, who replaced the injured Richardson earlier this season and passed for 716 yards, 7 touchdowns and 1 interception in parts of three games.
Richardson is the second quarterback taken in the first round of last year’s draft to sit on the bench this season. The Carolina Panthers placed the No. 1 pick on Bryce Young last month for veteran Andy Dalton.
