Anthony Richardson will face ‘open’ QB competition in 2025, Colts GM says

Anthony Richardson will have some competition to be the Indianapolis Colts’ starting quarterback in 2025.

Colts general manager Chris Ballard shared that the team will bring in another quarterback this offseason with the intention of having that player compete for the starting job alongside Richardson.

“It’ll be open,” Ballard told reporters of the Colts’ quarterback competition at the NFL Scouting Combine on Tuesday. “It’s gotta be somebody that can challenge from a production standpoint, too.” 

Ballard isn’t concerned about the quarterback battle having a negative effect on Richardson.

“It’s got to be the right guy to create real competition, but we want to create real competition,” Ballard said. “I think it’s good for the team. I think it’s good for Anthony. We drafted Anthony high knowing it was going to take some time. We knew there was going to be some hiccups along the way. I know we all want a finished product right now. I do, you do, fans do, we all do. But I think as he continues to progress in his young career, us adding competition I think will help up everybody’s game.”

Richardson, the fourth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, has mostly struggled to this point in his NFL career. His rookie season was cut short after four games due to a shoulder injury. Last season, he threw for 1,814 yards, eight touchdowns and 12 interceptions to go with a 61.6 passer rating in 11 games. He also rushed for 499 yards and six touchdowns.

Even though Richardson went 6-5 in the 11 games he started, he was largely met with criticism in Year 2, but not just because of his stats. Richardson voluntarily took himself out of a game for a play in Week 8, saying he needed a “breather.” That play caused the Colts to bench Richardson for two weeks.

Richardson wound up sitting out the final two weeks of the season due to a back injury after being sidelined two other weeks earlier in the year with an oblique issue. The 22-year-old has missed a season’s worth of games already in his career due to injury.

There are several means in which the Colts can acquire quarterback help. Matthew Stafford is the top name on the market as the Los Angeles Rams have reportedly allowed him to speak with other teams. Such a move, though, would likely mean Richardson is no longer the Colts’ starting quarterback. 

In terms of free-agent options, Sam Darnold, Justin Fields, Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston and Cooper Rush headline the group of veterans who started a handful of games last season that will hit the open market. Joe Flacco, Richardson’s primary backup in 2024, recently turned 40 and is also set to be a free agent. 

The Colts could also add a quarterback in the draft, but it’s likely they would wait until Day 2 or 3 to address the position.

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