Anthony Richardson’s benching goes far beyond his play: ‘A fascinating management dilemma’

The Indianapolis Colts’ decision to replace young franchise quarterback Anthony Richardson with 39-year-old Joe Flacco offers a window into a poorly understood NFL world.

The decision makes no sense on the surface because Richardson has started only 10 games, including six this season, and the variance in his play was predictable. The organization at every level knew when drafting Richardson at No. 4 in 2023 that he would alternate between sensational plays and confounding ones while hopefully figuring out how to play the position after starting only 13 games in college.

The team has a 5-5 record in Richardson’s starts, better than the 4-6 average for the last 130 quarterbacks making their first 10 starts, per TruMedia. Richardson’s statistics through 10 games mirror those for Buffalo Bills star Josh Allen to the same point of Allen’s career.

These seemingly logical touchstones distract from the reality facing the Colts. They are not important parts of the equation Indianapolis is trying to solve.

“What a fascinating management dilemma to be in,” a former executive from one of the Colts’ division rivals said.

Richardson taking himself out of the team’s Week 8 game against the Houston Texans and then explaining casually afterward that he was tired and needed a breather left the organization with an excruciating choice: bench Richardson, or lose even more credibility with a locker room that already knows the offense runs more efficiently with Flacco in the lineup.

Seemingly every former NFL coach and player with a platform has weighed in to express just how profoundly unbelievable it was for an NFL quarterback, as the face of the franchise, to casually take a break in the middle of a hard-fought divisional game.

“I can’t even wrap my mind around the fact that you are asking out of a game,” former 12-year offensive lineman Damien Woody said in his role as an ESPN analyst.

Woody’s reaction and the many others like it reflect long-established NFL sensibilities that Richardson might only now be beginning to grasp.

“That position, rightfully or wrongfully, defines your whole team,” a former high-ranking executive with extensive NFL playing experience said. “And if he is defined as that guy that raises his hand and comes out when it gets tough, you can’t have that.”

Those unfamiliar with NFL team and locker room dynamics will point to comparisons such as the 10-start comps for Richardson and the Bills’ Allen, suggesting Indianapolis is sacrificing the future for short-term gains. They don’t see any upside in riding Flacco to what might wind up being, at best, a short-lived playoff run.

Those on the inside see things differently. To them, the Colts decided the price for leaving Richardson in the lineup under these circumstances was higher than the price for replacing him. They chose to save the locker room now, in hopes of saving Richardson later, because they understand the tricky dynamics at work.

“If you enable him now, you lose everything,” the former high-ranking executive said, “because you sent the wrong message to your team and you sent the wrong message to him, that his behavior is acceptable. He will never recover from it.”

Can Richardson recover now?

“It’s really hard to develop a quarterback who is so far behind in learning to play the position that he’s in frantic mode all the time,” a personnel evaluator said. “This kid is truly a project more than a developmental player.”

Those who believed that about Richardson entering the draft believe it even more now. But if there was a decent chance Richardson might develop, that could still be the case.

“Maybe I’m being naïve,” the former high-ranking executive said, “but I think it is doable, and if you do it, you’re better than ever.”

In other words, if Richardson does possess the qualities required for him to become a consistent performer and true professional at what might be the most challenging position in professional team sports, those qualities will prevail in the end. But none of that will matter if he learns early on that it’s OK to do what he did as the face of the Colts’ franchise.

“The players are the smartest ones in the building,” a coach from another team said. “They know how hard he is practicing. They know how much extra film he is watching. They know how much he cares. They know it’s weird for a quarterback to step out of a game, and they know it’s weird to say, ‘I needed to take a little break,’ and not act like anything is wrong. They know he is probably not ready to play.”

Richardson is not the first highly drafted young quarterback to get benched early in his career, but he is probably the first to lose his job under these specific circumstances. The Colts have denied that Richardson’s opt-out against the Texans played any role in the decision to bench him, which is understandable for them to say, but not believable.

“If you cover for him, you can do more damage,” an executive from another team said. “Those players know. The fact that they saw it on TV, if you tried to cover for him, you risk dividing your team.”

And so the Colts’ quarterback adventures continue following Andrew Luck’s surprise 2019 retirement. What happened this week is the latest in a chain reaction of unplanned events:

• Luck retires, shocking the organization.

• Convinced the roster was ready to win, the Colts cycled through veteran stopgaps Philip Rivers, Carson Wentz and Matt Ryan, only to lose ground.

• As frustration mounted, owner Jim Irsay snapped, replacing coach Frank Reich with former player Jeff Saturday before eventually hiring current coach Shane Steichen.

• General manager Chris Ballard, hired in 2017 and under increasing pressure to solve the post-Luck QB riddle, took a risky swing on Richardson despite the QB’s thin resume.

• Steichen’s job was to maximize Richardson, but in doing so last season, the quarterback kept getting hurt. Indy sought to find the right usage balance this season, but Richardson got hurt anyway, opening the door for Flacco, who shined in relief, adding to the tension.

Then came the tap-out in Houston, and here we are again, with the Colts in turmoil at the position where stability is everything, and with Richardson’s career somehow at a crossroads after only 10 starts.

It’s a rough spot to be in. Even if Richardson gains a fuller understanding of his professional obligations, he still must prove he can stay healthy and pass accurately enough to win consistently.

“If you salvage him, you’ve nailed it,” the former high-ranking executive said. “You have brought him back from nowhere. He is better than ever then. He has seen how bad it could be and it makes him appreciate everything about being the guy.”

(Photo: Tim Warner / Getty Images)