The Indianapolis Colts have put the pressure on Anthony Richardson to beat out Daniel Jones in what appears to be a heated battle for the starting quarterback job ahead of the 2025 NFL season. But based on the recent comments of Colts GM Chris Ballard, there is still a lot of belief that Richardson can indeed be the quarterback of the future in Indianapolis.
Richardson has been plagued with both injury problems and some inconsistent play in his first two seasons in the NFL. But the splash plays that Richardson has pulled off keeps lingering optimism that he can figure it out and become a star at the NFL level.
Speaking about Richardson on Tuesday, Ballard explained how there have been plenty of quarterbacks, like Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold, that have struggled early in their career only to figure it out with time.
“Do you think people regret Baker Mayfield’s timeline? Sam Darnold’s timeline?” Ballard said, via ESPN’s Stephen Holder. “Sometimes you’ve got to have a little patience with a guy and let them grow through things. “If you think, ‘Hey, he’s on the right trajectory,’ why are you going to flush it just because people outside think you should flush it? I don’t agree with that. I think we need to give Anthony every chance to be the best he can be.”
Mayfield and Darnold of course figured it out on teams that weren’t the teams that drafted them. But clearly, Ballard sees Richardson as a player who could be a long-term building block for years to come in Indianapolis.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.