INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Quarterback Anthony Richardson made an appearance at the Indianapolis Colts' voluntary offseason workouts Monday, a person with knowledge of his attendance told The Associated Press.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because team attendance is not typically released publicly. Richardson had been working out in his hometown of Jacksonville, Florida, when the Colts began the workouts as his agent searched for a trade partner.
It's yet another twist in Richardson's four-year career, which began with the former Florida star being taken with the No. 4 overall draft pick in 2023.
The selection made Richardson a clear-cut choice to become the long-term answer at a position that had been a revolving door since Andrew Luck's surprise retirement in August 2019.
Richardson got off to a strong start by beating out Gardner Minshew II for the starting job in training camp and he became the seventh different opening day starter for the Colts in seven years. Since then, not much else has gone right for Richardson.
He started only three more games that season and finished only two of the four games he appeared in before suffering a season-ending injury to his throwing shoulder.
When Richardson returned in 2024, he struggled with his accuracy and health. He completed only 47.7% of his throws, the lowest among the league's regular starters, missed two midseason games with an oblique injury and the final two games with a back injury.
But the defining moment of his second NFL season came in October 2024 against Houston when he took himself out of the game because he acknowledged later that he was tired.
Coach Shane Steichen responded by benching Richardson for Indy's next two games.
Still, the Colts wanted to bring in another potential starter to challenge Richardson in 2025. General manager Chris Ballard opted to sign Daniel Jones, the No. 6 overall draft pick of the New York Giants in 2019.
Jones struggled and dealt with injuries during his career with the Giants and eventually was released in November 2024 at his request. In Indy, Jones resuscitated his career by winning the starting job in camp as Richardson continued to deal with injuries and then led the Colts to a strong 11-game start.
All that ended, though, when he suffered a torn Achilles tendon in December against Jacksonville.
But Richardson never got a chance to win back the job because of a freak pregame injury that resulted in a fractured orbital bone and a recovery that was slowed as he struggled to regain the eyesight in his right eye. He appeared in just two games and threw two passes in 2025 and when it became clear the Colts wanted to keep Jones off the free agent market, Richardson asked for permission to look for a trade.
Ballard has not ruled out the possibility Richardson could still be with the Colts this fall, but they did not exercise the fifth-year option that would have kept him in town through 2027.
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