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Stephen Holder, ESPN
INDIANAPOLIS — With the reality of his shoulder injury beginning to set in, and the prospect of missing extended time in the Indianapolis Colts‘ lineup becoming more likely, rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson broke down.
On the evening of Oct. 8, the same day he sustained the AC joint sprain that would eventually require season-ending surgery, Richardson succumbed to his emotions. During a phone call with his agent, Deiric Jackson, Richardson was so distraught, so inconsolable, that Jackson summoned David Thornton — the Colts’ vice president of team engagement — to go visit the fourth overall draft pick.
It was a down moment in a season that began with so much optimism. Richardson was drafted to be the franchise quarterback for a team that had spent years in a fruitless search for one. And he was already putting opponents on notice with his powerful throwing arm and physical running style.
And just like that, he would no longer be able to display either one.
Later that week, Richardson finally reappeared when he made a slow walk out to the practice field, his right arm in a sling, a hoodie covering his head and no sign of his trademark smile.
The biggest test of a young football player’s life was well underway.
“I’m not going to lie,” Richardson said. “Those first few weeks were definitely hard for me. I’ve never missed a season of football. I’ve dealt with injuries before, but never sat out games, never was told that my season was done and I had to wait.
“So, it definitely did hurt me, because this was the first year where I didn’t have football to guide me.”
The injury to his throwing shoulder, which occurred in the first half of a Week 5 win over the Tennessee Titans, would end Richardson’s rookie season before it had truly gotten off the ground. All told, he played just 12 quarters in 2023 because of the shoulder and a concussion that sidelined him in Week 3.
But through the periods of physical and emotional pain, Richardson’s travails revealed so much about him. They demonstrated just how much football meant to him and the depth of his sense of responsibility to his team.
And those are qualities the Colts hope can take him a long way.
“He cares deeply about being the best player he can be and he cares deeply about his teammates,” general manager Chris Ballard said.
Even so, Richardson had to learn to put his situation into perspective. It was a difficult task for a 21-year-old who was adjusting to dealing with the weight of the expectations placed on quarterbacks drafted in the first round.
“I just sat down and opened my eyes and realized I’m blessed to be in the NFL, blessed to be on this team,” Richardson said. “I’m blessed to be sitting here talking to you. So, I just had to look at the bigger picture and understand it is all part of the process.
“Trying to see the good in everything else around me. But it was definitely tough. But I could talk to some people, letting my emotions out a little bit. I finally came around and understood my purpose in this building.”
The context here matters. While all of this was unfolding, one of Richardson’s counterparts in the draft — second overall pick C.J. Stroud — was tearing up the league, playing at a nearly unprecedented level for a rookie. Meanwhile, first overall pick Bryce Young had rookie struggles but was able to establish himself as the Carolina Panthers’ starter from Day 1.
Meanwhile, Richardson watched as his backup, Gardner Minshew, helped lead the Colts to a 9-8 record, more than doubling Indy’s win total from the previous season. The Colts could have clinched a playoff berth in the finale, but Stroud stepped up big to lead the Texans into the playoffs.
“Being such a young guy and watching C.J. and Bryce play,” receiver Michael Pittman Jr. said, “people don’t talk about it, but that’s taxing. He’s watching them play well and just knowing that he wants to be out there, too, and he feels that pressure.”
A couple of things helped Richardson cope. For one, finally undergoing surgery several weeks later and starting his rehab shortly afterward gave him a daily purpose. He has attacked his rehab with ferocity and hopes to resume throwing in the near future, ahead of his doctors’ projections.
Secondly, coach Shane Steichen went to great lengths to ensure that Richardson remained engaged with the offensive game-planning process by involving him in meetings and giving him projects such as film study.
Everyone involved would much prefer Richardson had played this season. But, in a way, there were some benefits to Richardson being able to take a step back and get an actual NFL education. From the day he was drafted, the Colts had fast-tracked him to the starting lineup, with Richardson learning the offense and the intricacies of the job on the fly.
Since the injury, the opposite has been true.
“It kind of slowed me down, slowed our process down to where we could dive deeper,” Richardson said.
Said Steichen: “He got a chance to sit back, watch and learn. I had some good meetings with him throughout the season, just individually, me and him, sitting down talking football. Just seeing the NFL season as a whole.
“Obviously, [we] would’ve loved to have him out there for the season to learn that way … But I think [the lessons] are going to make him stronger in the end.”
Richardson’s thirst for knowledge has always been a quality that impresses coaches and teammates, and that characteristic has served him well while injured.
“He’s always walking around looking at an iPad in his hand, or he’s walking right next to Coach and he’s trying to learn,” running back Jonathan Taylor said.
But above all, Richardson wants to play.
His injury cost him some key opportunities for development. There are rookie mistakes that will presumably creep into Year 2. But the growth that Richardson managed to achieve this season could pay dividends.
“Anytime you’ve got someone talented like that, but also with that hunger to learn, watch out,” Taylor said. “Those are the ones. Those are the ones you’ve got to watch out for.”
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