Sources: Colts bench Anthony Richardson, turn to Joe Flacco

The Indianapolis Colts are benching Anthony Richardson and turning to Joe Flacco as their starting quarterback, sources told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and Adam Schefter.

Colts coaches met Tuesday morning and ultimately decided to change quarterbacks, sources told Fowler and Schefter, opting for Flacco over the struggling Richardson.

The benching came two days after Richardson asked to come out of Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans for one play because, as he later told reporters, he “was tired.”

Colts coach Shane Steichen said Monday that he was evaluating the team’s quarterback situation, adding that Richardson’s request to come out of the game would not be a factor in his decision.

Internally, the Colts maintain that Richardson’s time as their franchise quarterback is not over.

One team source characterized the benching as a “growth opportunity” and also insisted that the Colts “are not quitting on Anthony.”

“That will be the story, but that is not the case,” the source told ESPN.

Richardson, even in Year 2 with the Colts, remained the NFL’s youngest starting quarterback at 22. He was drafted before his 21st birthday and after just 13 starts at the University of Florida.

The Colts had been insistent that Richardson needed to play in order to grow as a player, which fueled their decision to start him as a rookie. He was named the starter over Gardner Minshew in training camp in 2023 after just one preseason game.

The move to bench Richardson, therefore, marks a significant departure from the organization’s previous thinking.

“Taking a step back can be a good thing,” the team source said.

A source close to Richardson described him as being hit hard by the news. But that source also indicated Richardson will handle the demotion professionally and be ready if called upon.

Richardson completed just 10 of 32 passes for 175 yards in Sunday’s loss at Houston. He told Steichen he “needed a break right there” as he left the game in the third quarter, tapping on his helmet.

The No. 4 selection in last year’s draft, Richardson has a 44.4% completion rate this season, which is the fifth worst in a player’s first six games of a season since 2000, according to ESPN Research.

Steichen did not defend Richardson’s decision to leave the game, saying Monday that he had a private conversation with the second-year quarterback and adding that “You can’t take yourself out, and it’s a learned experience for him and he’s got to grow from it.”

Colts center Ryan Kelly, the longest-tenured player on the current roster, said Richardson “knows it’s not the standard that he needs to play up to and the rest of the team holds him to.”

The Colts (4-4) now will turn to Flacco, 39, who replaced the injured Richardson earlier this season and passed for 716 yards, 7 touchdowns and 1 interception in parts of three games.

Richardson is the second quarterback taken in the first round of last year’s draft to be benched this season. The Carolina Panthers benched No. 1 selection Bryce Young last month for veteran Andy Dalton.