Colts approach with benched Anthony Richardson at trade deadline shows total disarray

The Indianapolis Colts made the rather controversial decision to bench 2023 first-round pick Anthony Richardson in Week 9. On the surface, the decision was easy to justify. Richardson has struggled immensely in his sophomore campaign while Joe Flacco is a proven winner who was in the playoffs just last season.

It's clear Indy is aiming for the postseason again, which spurred this change. That said, the Colts should probably reconsider the long-term implications of this transition. History does not favor first-round quarterbacks who are benched during their rookie contract.

Can Richardson buck that overwhelming trend? Sure, but the Colts are playing with fire. Richardson has made 10 career starts and dealt with multiple serious injuries. To essentially throw in the towel and prioritize a potential postseason berth over Richardson's development is severely shortsighted.

Flacco, who underperformed on Sunday, does not guarantee the Colts much in terms of winning, but his promotion does put Richardson at a disadvantage. It's a blow to his morale and it's a major hitch in the Colts' developmental plans for the former No. 4 pick.

One might expect the Colts to start thinking about potential replacements in the 2025 NFL Draft. Flacco won't stick around forever, but it's clear that Shane Steichen and the coaching staff aren't confident in Richardson's career arc. He's a major talent, but the processing and decision-making skills just weren't up to par over the first half of this season.

As the Nov. 5 trade deadline approached, however, Indy took a hardline stance on Richardson's availability.

Colts refused to trade Anthony Richardson despite benching him for 39-year-old Joe Flacco

The Colts are essentially committing to Richardson as their QB of the future, at least in spirit, even if Steichen sounds exceedingly unconvinced of his young quarterback's long-term potential. Richardson can make every throw in the book and he's a dangerous runner, but unless he gets more consistent with his execution, the Colts aren't going to hand the offense back over.

This is classic front office sunk-cost nonsense. We've seen it with Bryce Young, and with 65 other quarterbacks alluded to in Adam Schefter's above tweet. When you've benched your first-round QB, that's a good as letting him go. But, on the off chance that Richardson can rebound from this setback and earn his coaches' trust again, the Colts aren't even willing to engage in trade talks.

It's one thing to not trade Richardson, but it's another matter entirely to flatly tell prospective suitors 'no' as soon as the phone rings. At least see what the offers are. Richardson is brimming with upside and a ton of QB-needy teams would benefit from taking a flier on the Florida Gator. Think Las Vegas or even Pittsburgh, teams without much certainty at the position beyond this season. I suspect that Indianapolis could've received a nice haul for a recent top-four pick.

Maybe this all blows over and Richardson is leading the Colts to postseason glory a few years from now, but this feels like the beginning of the end. Not for Richardson's career, but for his tenure in Indianapolis. The Colts are almost certainly going to go in a new direction eventually, and Richardson would probably embrace a change of scenery after this debacle.

Only time will tell, but the vibes are off in Indy.