The Indianapolis Colts are benching former first-round quarterback Anthony Richardson and turning to 39-year-old Joe Flacco, multiple outlets reported Tuesday.
On Monday, Colts head coach Shane Steichen was non-committal when asked if Richardson would start in Week 9.
“We’re evaluating everything,” Steichen said as the Colts (4-4) began their preparations for Sunday night’s road game against the Minnesota Vikings (5-2).
The coaching staff met on Tuesday morning and made the “seismic organizational decision to change QBs,” ESPN reported.
Richardson completed only 10 of 32 passes (31.3 percent) for 175 yards with one touchdown and one interception in Sunday’s 23-20 loss to the host Houston Texans.
During the third quarter, Richardson made the unusual move of taking himself out of the game in the middle of a Colts drive. He later explained that he needed a breather after scrambling on several plays.
“Tired, I ain’t gonna lie,” said Richardson, 22. “That was a lot of running right there that I did. … So, I just told Shane that I needed a break right there.”
Richardson, who missed Weeks 5 and 6 with an oblique injury, has completed just 44.4 percent of his passes for 958 yards with four TDs and seven interceptions in six games this season.
Drafted No. 4 overall in 2023 out of Florida, Richardson’s rookie season ended after just four games due to a shoulder injury that required surgery.
Flacco was 1-1 in two starts earlier this month against Jacksonville and Tennessee. He has completed 65.7 percent of his passes this season for 716 yards with seven touchdowns and one interception.
Flacco is 104-83 as an NFL starter with the Baltimore Ravens (2008-18), Denver Broncos (2019), New York Jets (2020-22), Cleveland Browns (2023) and Colts. He has thrown for 44,652 yards with 252 TDs and 156 INTs. He was the MVP of Baltimore’s 34-31 win against the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII.
