Anthony Richardson's Colts Teammates Speak Out on Benching

Players of the Indianapolis Colts gave their opinions on the benching of quarterback Anthony Richardson.

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) rolls out of the pocket during the game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

When Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen was asked if the locker room was unified in the decision to bench quarterback Anthony Richardson, he was unable to give an answer.

"I can't speak for our team," Steichen said.

Luckily, many of Richardson's teammates were asked about their feelings regarding his benching and the move to veteran Joe Flacco as the starter. Here are the comments from various Colts players throughout the week and what the main takeaways should be.

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Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. (11) gives his touchdown ball to quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) after scoring his first passing touchdown in the second half against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Lucas Oil Stadium. / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

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QB Joe Flacco – "I know that when I was that young, there's no chance that I would have been able to have the perspective and just the right head on my shoulders to handle it and take it the right way. But now, being this is my 17th year, I do have that perspective. So, if you can kind of give any of that to him in terms of just, this doesn't have to be a negative thing. There are a lot of positives on his end that can come from this.

"Like I said, he's very young with a bright future, and there are plenty of guys that come into this league and don't play right away. Now, I know this is a little bit different because it feels like you're getting something taken away from you. And like I said, if I was as young as he was, there's no chance I would have taken it the right way, right off the bat. But I do really believe there are a lot of positives. I mean look, there are a bunch of guys around the league that haven't played right as they come in the league who have gotten second or third chances as they've kind of matured and grown a little bit.

"I think there are a lot of advantages of being able to remove yourself a little bit and watch from a distance and learn and do those things. I think that's probably – not to talk for the Colts and Shane, but you would think that's part of the thought process, at least a little bit, is to try to help him out.”

RB Jonathan Taylor – "Of course I was surprised, but just got to understand this is a tough business so there's going to be a lot of adversity. Everyone, each and every single individual is going to face adversity, but at the end of the day, ... Just let him know, ‘Listen, you’ve got to stay the course. You’ve got to be able to modify your routine where need be, but continue to come in and be a professional each and every single day, each and every single week.’ That's going to get you far in this business.”

WR Michael Pittman Jr. – "Obviously, it was kind of shocking. It caught me off guard. And that's the good and bad thing about football is there's opportunity for everybody and I don't think that this is over. I think he's going to come back better from this. ... The way that he responds to things, I think that he's going about it the right way. He showed up here early and he's been doing everything that he did before he heard this news. It's just a testament to who he is and he's going to keep on working through it even if it's tough."

WR Josh Downs – “Yeah, a little surprised for sure. I didn’t … I don’t know. They made that decision, so you gotta just trust the coaches. But yeah, I just felt bad for 5. ... At the end of the day, Joe is like 40 years old. So, he only has so many more years, I’d say. AR is 22 or 23. He’s still the No. 4 overall pick and he's just gonna learn from this and he's gonna get better. So, I know he's gonna start again.”

WR Alec Pierce – "He's 22 years old. I think he's gonna play in the league for a long time. He's going to have a long career. Just take it as a chance to kind of sit back and kind of learn from some things, kind of let it slow down a little bit. It's obviously frustrating, but I think he understands it’s part of his journey. And it’s gonna make him greater in the end.”

G Quenton Nelson – "And I still do (go to bat for Richardson). It's just like a crazy situation, and still have a bunch of faith in AR and know that when he gets his next opportunity that he’s gonna do well. I still think that there was a lot of things good he did when playing. He did a great job escaping pressure, evading sacks. And he also had some good throws, too. ... Yeah, I was surprised.”

C Ryan Kelly – "I was a little surprised. Shane gave me a heads up, so I respect him for doing that. That was a good courtesy call, I guess. Always tough though when making a change in-season like that. ... I think AR has handled it about as well as you could.

DT DeForest Buckner – "Obviously, it's tough when it comes to situations like that. Obviously, there's a lot of thinking that goes into it and discussion. ... I let AR know that despite the situation, the guys always got his back and we're always here for him. I just told him that you have to use this moment as a growth experience and continue to develop as a quarterback and a leader and also, I mean just don't let this moment define him as a player, as a person."

LB Zaire Franklin – “I mean the reality of the situation is – unfortunately it’s a part of his journey, a part of his process. You know, I called him and talked with him yesterday when the news came out or whatever, and obviously I know he's really banged up about it, but he's a professional and he's a great teammate. So, I know he's going to still continue to go and do everything he can do to help his team win.

"I still believe he’s the future of this team. I know that sounds crazy to everybody right now, but that's something I still full heartedly believe, that he's the future of the Indianapolis Colts. It is tough. I wouldn't say that he lost the locker room at all. I mean look, he's a young player that was making mistakes and that we knew we had to grow with – grow through it with him.

"So the things that he was struggling with or trying to work on at the time, was things that we all understood, especially from a defensive side of the ball. So I would never say it was a loss of confidence because we understood there were going to be highs and lows with everything as he grew into the role as the face of the franchise.”

CB Kenny Moore II – "Stay resilient. I texted AR whenever I found out about everything through the media. Just told him that I had his back. I’m in full support of him. Whenever he get a chance again, just make the most of it.”

Indianapolis Colts guard Quenton Nelson (56) celebrates with Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) after a touchdown Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023, during a game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium in Houston / Jenna Watson/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK

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Takeaways

The universal reaction from the locker room when they heard the news was one of shock . It still seems odd that an announcement was not made to the team about the change and most were left to find out through social media. Regardless, it did not take very long for players to hear that Richardson had been benched.

If Richardson has lost the Colts' locker room, his teammates are doing a wonderful job of hiding it. All of his teammates who spoke publicly on the issue vowed that they still support Richardson and believe this is not the end of the road. Franklin was particularly confident that Richardson remains the future at the quarterback position for Indy.

The two players who seemed the most disappointed were Downs and Nelson. Downs has become incredibly close with Richardson since the two were drafted in the spring of 2023. Nelson has repeatedly went to bat for his quarterback and has been one of Richardson's most staunch supporters. Both will continue to support Richardson as he takes on this new role.

While Flacco may be the quarterback leading this team at the moment, Richardson panning out to be the franchise quarterback for the Colts for years to come is still the ideal ending to this entire saga. His teammates are certainly not giving up on what the young quarterback can become. We will see if that faith turns into a reality down the line.

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