The Indianapolis Colts quarterback room is in a disastrous state, and the team could desperately use former first-round pick Anthony Richardson to return from the injured reserve. Selected early in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Florida product missed most of his rookie season to injury before struggling during the second year of his career. Indianapolis brought in veteran Daniel Jones to compete for the starting role, and the veteran won the job.
While Richardson hasn’t started a game this year, he still landed on the injured reserve after suffering a freak eye injury in pre-game warmups. Now, with Jones out for the season with an Achilles injury and rookie Riley Leonard battling a knee injury of his own, the team desperately needs a decent quarterback. Unfortunately, it doesn’t sound like Anthony Richardson will return to the field any time soon.
Anthony Richardson Will Not Return Soon, Could Miss Rest of 2025
According to reports by Fox59’s Mike Chappell and Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, Anthony Richardson did not take part in football activities this week and may not return at any point in the 2025 season. Only time will tell if he can return later in the season, but it’s safe to assume that he won’t be able to help in the immediate future.
After being in the race for the top seed in the AFC just two weeks ago, Indianapolis stands a decent shot of missing the playoffs entirely. The team is currently the eighth seed in the conference and finishes the year with a gruesome gauntlet of playoff-bound teams in the Seattle Seahawks, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Houston Texans. Given their quarterback situation, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise if the 2025 Colts already won their last game.
Help On the Horizon
With Jones out, Leonard battling an injury, and Anthony Richardson nowhere close to a return, the Indianapolis Colts are reportedly considering bringing in an old friend. Quarterback Philip Rivers spent the 2020 season with the Colts and hasn’t played since guiding the team to a playoff spot, but he could make a return to breathe some life into this offense.
According to reports across the league, the quarterback has already worked out for the organization and still has some zip in his arm. The two sides remain in negotiation, but a return is not set in stone at this point.
For what it’s worth, this isn’t the first time Rivers has flirted with a return to the NFL. Back in 2023, the San Francisco 49ers made it to the NFC Championship Game despite losing Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo to season-ending injuries. While Brock Purdy kept the ship afloat and eventually won the full-time job, he suffered an elbow injury of his own in the NFC Championship Game. Had the 49ers previaled, the team would have signed Rivers to start in the Super Bowl.
If Philip Rivers doesn’t sign, the Colts have other free agent quarterback options.
Main Photo: Grace Smith – Imagn Images
