Time to Pull the Plug: Colts Can Ignore Richardson’s Struggles After…
When the Indianapolis Colts drafted Anthony Richardson with the No. 4 overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft. They made a commitment to the 6-foot-4, 244 lb. quarterback. Given what we know about QB salaries, after the draft ended, the Colts were again on the clock for four years. That’s how long Richardson would be on his rookie deal.
We’re about a year and a half removed from the 2023 NFL Draft, and one thing is for certain: Richardson doesn’t appear to have made many strides toward being the franchise signal-caller they need him to be. Rather than taking the Carolina Panthers’ approach to Bryce Young and benching Richardson, the Colts need to fire head coach Shane Steichen and offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter.
What’s the alternative? Starting Joe Flacco? Just to clarify what we already know, Flacco is better today than Richardson, but the team doesn’t want the better quarterback now; it wants the better quarterback for the future.
How many more perfectly good quarterbacks have to endure a half-decade toiling away on the bench and the “bust” draft label before we start holding coaching staffs accountable? They are just as guilty of playing for their immediate futures instead of setting up the team’s long-term interests.
If Richardson isn’t in the best position to succeed, find a coach who can make it work. Steichen is 13-11 as a head coach.
Every week, Steichen speaks some form of “needing to be better” as a play-caller to get the offense going. Yet the Colts’ offense continues to suffer from the same inefficiencies.
