Anthony Richardson was brought to Indianapolis to be the Colts‘ franchise quarterback.
He has come up well short of the mark that was set for him as the No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, though.
The Colts are in a national spotlight in Week 2 of the 2026 NFL season. They’re playing on Sunday Night Football against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Richardson, though, isn’t playing — unless there’s an injury in front of him.
Why Isn’t Anthony Richardson Playing?
Richardson isn’t playing because he is now the Colts’ backup quarterback.
Daniel Jones starts for Indy and will likely do so as long as he’s healthy.
Richardson lost a preseason competition to Jones in 2025, in part due to an injury, and then never got a chance to start throughout last season as Jones led an efficient offense.
By the time Jones was hurt at the end of the year, Richardson was hurt, too — so the Colts instead turned to Philip Rivers and Riley Leonard to bring the season home.
Colts QB Depth Chart
Richardson remains with the Colts despite speculation that he might be traded, and he’s just one play away.
He’s the QB2 on the depth chart behind Daniel Jones.
Riley Leonard, now in his second year out of Notre Dame, is the Colts’ third quarterback.
Anthony Richardson Stats
Richardson has gotten opportunities with the Colts since being the No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft out of Florida.
As a rookie, he started four games and went 2-2. He completed 59.5% of his passes with three touchdowns and an interception among his 577 yards. He also ran 25 times for 136 yards (5.4 yards per carry) and four touchdowns.
In 2024, Richardson’s accuracy suffered, but the Colts still went 6-5 in his starts. He completed 47.7% of his passes for 1,814 yards, throwing eight touchdowns but also 12 interceptions. He also ran 86 times for 499 yards (5.8 yards per carry) and six TDs.
In 2025, Richardson got into just two games, neither starts. He completed 1-of-2 passes for nine yards and ran four times for negative-1 yard.
Richardson didn’t get into the Colts’ Week 1 loss to the Ravens.
He’s still just 24, so there might be room for growth, but the concern about Richardson coming out of college was that he’d had just one season as a starter, and in that year, he completed just 53.8% of his passes. Clearly, he had immense raw, physical talent — but could the Colts mold it?
So far, Richardson hasn’t been molded into what Indy hoped he could be.
He’s in the final year of his rookie contract, which invites frequent trade speculation, but the Colts’ GM Chris Ballard made it clear heading into the year that Richardson was going to be a part of the Colts. He didn’t rule out a later trade, either, so it’s worth watching.
But with Jones coming off an injury-shortened season, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see a moment when the Colts have to call on Richardson to save the day. He’s still due to live up to the hype.
Why Anthony Richardson Isn’t Playing For Colts Despite No. 4 Overall Pick