Anthony Richardson will remain with the Indianapolis Colts this season even after losing his starting job.

Colts general manager Chris Ballard confirmed on Wednesday that, despite naming Daniel Jones their starting quarterback, the team isn’t ready to move on from Richardson just yet.

Advertisement

“We’re not trading him,” Ballard said plainly, .

[Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season]

The Colts signed Jones to a one-year deal in March, and then they earlier this month. It’ll mark Jones’ first starting job in the league since his run with the New York Giants fell apart last fall. He was benched and then released by the team in November, and then spent the rest of the season on the bench with the Minnesota Vikings.

Richardson, meanwhile, has struggled significantly in his first two seasons in the league. The Colts selected him with the No. 4 overall pick out of Florida in 2023, but he’s been battling injuries almost constantly. He’s played in just 17 games over the first two seasons, and has yet to play in more than four consecutive games, while completing less than 51% of his passes. He’s had several leadership issues, too, including simply because he was “tired.”

“You’ve got to respect the decision,” Richardson . “They feel like he’s a better fit for the team, better fit for the outcome of us winning. So you’ve just got to respect it and just keep working.

“That doesn’t undermine any other work I’ve been putting in, doesn’t say that I haven’t improved. I’m proud of the improvement I’ve made.”

Advertisement

Ballard echoed that sentiment on Wednesday, too.

“It’s easy to say, ‘OK, he’s done,'” Ballard said. “I don’t agree. I’ve said this numerous times — I do not agree with that. I think overcoming challenges and obstacles along the way are good for anybody. I do. I’m proud of Anthony, of where he is at, how far he’s come. He’s come miles.

“It is tough on any young quarterback in this league, but for him to keep taking the growth steps that he has and to work so hard and then not get the goal for himself. All right, now to continue to do that, that’s when we’ve got a chance to see real growth.”

Jones will mark the 11th starting quarterback the Colts have had since losing Andrew Luck to his surprise retirement in 2019. The franchise has made the playoffs just once since then, but fell in the wild card round, and is now preparing to enter its second season under head coach Shane Steichen. The Colts will open their season against the Miami Dolphins on Sept. 7.

While Richardson isn’t going anywhere just yet — the team could easily move on from him in the future, especially if Jones has a career revival of sorts after his rough start in New York — Ballard is still convinced that he could be a legitimate franchise quarterback in the future.

“I think it’s sure in him. I do,” Ballard said. “I think it’s in him. Whether that happens or not, we’ll see.”