Anthony Richardson may be phasing himself out of NFL, writer says

Anthony Richardson needed a breather. With the Colts trailing at Houston, 20-10, on Sunday, Richardson wore out his cleats over consecutive plays near the end of a long Indianapolis drive late in the third quarter, finally lunging forward on a sack by Houston’s Jake Hansen. And when he got up, just before a third-and-goal from the Texans’ 23-yard line, Richardson tapped his helmet.

“Tired. I ain’t gonna lie,” Richardson said after the game. “That was a lot of running right there that I did and I don’t think I was going to be able to go that next play, so I just was saying I needed a break right there.”

The Colts (4-4) might give Richardson a much longer break starting this Sunday night at 5-2 Minnesota (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC). While opinions vary on Richardson asking out of the game or his unique-but-inconsistent play, one person’s opinion will carry more weight than others on whether the Colts move forward with Richardson or veteran Joe Flacco.

“We’re evaluating everything,” head coach Shane Steichen said Monday, asked whether Richardson would start against the Vikings. Asked to confirm whether the quarterback was still at the top of the Indianapolis depth chart, Steichen said, “Right now, today, he is. Yes.”

“Yes” wasn’t the answer Courtney Cronin would’ve provided had she been on the Colts’ sideline when Richardson opted out Sunday. Indianapolis wound up kicking a 37-yard field goal after Jonathan Taylor ran for 5 yards but the Colts eventually lost, 23-20. Worse, the Texans (6-2) swept the season series with the Colts. Asked Monday by Around the Horn host Tony Reali her opinion on Richardson leaving the game, Cronin pulled no punches.

“I almost couldn’t hear you because of the sound of the world’s smallest violin being played by his offensive linemen,” the ESPN writer said. “Because, they’re in there every single play. They don’t get a break when they’re pass-blocking for him and trying to protect him.”

Cronin said Richardson audaciously asking out of the game showed that he wasn’t staying in shape during his rehabilitation from an oblique injury that sidelined him for two starts earlier in the month, and that the Colts might be re-evaluating their long-term plans at their most important position.

“He isn’t ready to be a pro,” she added. “And there’s this conversation about young quarterbacks coming in, we had it last year with Anthony Richardson; was he actually ready to play or should he have played behind a vet beforehand? It’s not just about learning the Xs and Os. It’s about learning how to be a pro and learning how to be prepared in those moments, something certainly we’re learning about in real time. Anthony Richardson may very well be phasing himself out of the NFL as quickly as he came in.”