Colts’ Chris Ballard sends warning to Anthony Richardson after rough 2024 campaign

Anthony Richardson will have to is fighting for his job with the Indianapolis Colts 2025. While the team still doesn’t give up on its former top-five draft pick, the general manager Chris Ballard said he would bring in another quarterback in the offseason to compete with Richardson.

Ballard gave two reasons for his decision at the year-end press conference. The eight-year executive said another veteran would not only improve Richardson, but also give the Colts stability at quarterback in the event of another injury.

“We have to have competition at the position,” Ballard said. “First of all, competition makes everything better.” And two, (Anthony Richardson is) unproven that he can play 17 games.

Ballard admitted that one of his biggest mistakes in 2024 was allowing the team to become “complacent” by not making enough changes to the roster. He looks set to change that in 2025, starting with his quarterback.

In 2024, 39-year-old Joe Flacco was Indianapolis’ backup quarterback. Flacco started eight games — including two over Richardson — and threw for 1,761 yards, 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

Ballard did not mention any potential names, but alluded to the fact that he wants another previously established starter on the roster. Ballard said he wants to see Richardson improve his health and consistency and believes he has a chance to do both in 2025 as he enters the offseason healthy.

Colts Quarterback Anthony Richardson Up-Down 2024

The 2024 season was the second of Richardson’s career, but his first full year in the league. The Florida product played only four games as a rookie before starting 11 games his sophomore year.

While he is undoubtedly one of the most athletic and physical quarterbacks in the league, Richardson has struggled as a passer. He completed a historically bad 47.7 percent of his passes while throwing just eight touchdowns to 12 interceptions. He has only thrown for a touchdown in six of his 11 games this year.

As a running back, Richardson racked up 499 yards and six touchdowns on 5.8 yards per carry. His rushing presence helped running back Jonathan Taylor rush for 1,431 yards in 2024, the second most of his career.

Unlike the typical NFL quarterback, Richardson didn’t look like a future franchise signal caller in college. Instead, it was his NFL combine numbers and strong arm at the Pro Day that attracted scouts. Many general managers, including Ballard, believed his physical gift would allow his developing talent to come together in time to lead the offense.

As Ballard mentioned, consistency has been Richardson’s biggest issue. His big arm and bold style of play often create big, momentum-changing plays, but they only come up once every handful of games. The rest of the time, he struggles to read the pocket and lacks the accuracy to allow his receivers to get into a rhythm.