Colts owner and CEO Carlie Irsay-Gordon is hanging onto the belief that Anthony Richardson can become a franchise quarterback.
“Where he is in his career and in his deal as a rookie, we still have time,” Irsay-Gordon told Colts.com Monday. “He still has time to prove it. … Bring a sense of urgency. And nothing brings a sense of urgency more than competition.”
The 23-year-old Richardson is entering training camp in a competitive battle with former Giants signal-caller Daniel Jones, who signed a one-year, $14 million deal with Indianapolis for the chance to compete for the starting job.
Richardson has undeniable raw talent, and he has shown flashes of excellence in his first two seasons with the Colts.
But he has also struggled with inconsistency – he has more career interceptions (13) than touchdowns (11) – and injuries have been a major concern.
Richardson, the No. 4 pick in the 2023 draft, missed most of his rookie year with an AC joint sprain, and several different injuries impacted his playing time in 2024.
The Florida product most recently re-aggravated his AC joint issue during OTAs in early June, which kept him sidelined leading up to training camp, although he is now cleared to play.
Jones, 28, was released by the Giants partway through last season before spending the rest of the year with the Vikings.
In the 10 games he did start for the Giants in 2024, he threw for 2,070 yards and eight touchdowns with seven interceptions. The Giants went 2-8 in that stretch.
Colts head coach Shane Steichen praised Jones’ performance during June OTAs, with Richardson injured, saying: “Very pleased with what we got right now. He’s been doing a hell of a job. Really smart football player. Learned the offense very quickly, making really good decisions out there through OTAs.”
Colts training camp begins on July 23, and runs through Aug. 14.