Anthony Richardson Sr. on Tuesday walked into the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center for the start of the Colts' offseason program, which also marked the start of his competition with Daniel Jones – even if we're still about a month away from on-field OTA practices getting underway.
Richardson, now in his third year in the NFL, will have to earn the Colts' starting quarterback job over the course of the next four months. But the 22-year-old former No. 4 overall pick is not shying away from the challenge of winning back the starting gig he's largely held when healthy over the last two years.
"Competition brings the best out of you," Richardson said. "That's just how life works, you just gotta compete and get better because somebody to the right, left or in front of you is trying to out-work you and be better than you. Competition, I love it."
Richardson said he spent the last few months working on honing his footwork and staying calm in the pocket with Dr. Tom Gormely, a private quarterback coach based in Florida. He mentioned footwork several times during a press conference on Tuesday, and also emphasized improving his presence both in and out of the pocket.
"That was one of the main things I wanted to focus on, because everybody knows I can throw the ball whenever I'm smooth, but I want to find opportunities for myself to be consistent when I am off-balance and make decent throws," Richardson said. "And even when everything is perfect, making sure my feet are intact and my width and my base are solid and I'm just completing a pass."
Richardson, too, has done plenty of conditioning and strength work and is on a maintenance plan for his back, an injury to which knocked him out of the final two games of the 2024 season. Richardson said those back issues are not lingering, and the plan is to prevent any further injuries.
Consistency in performance and availability is largely why Richardson finds himself competing with Jones to be the Colts' starting quarterback in 2025. Richardson completed 47.7 percent of his passes in 2024 and missed four games due to injury; he also was benched for two games in the middle of his second year in the NFL.
Richardson, though, has taken the critiques he's received from general manager Chris Ballard and head coach Shane Steichen not as an attack on who he is, but as fuel for the work he's focused on continuing throughout his career.
"I definitely don't take it personal," Richardson said. "I definitely love working, I love getting better, so whenever there's an opportunity for me to go and chase that, why not do it."
Richardson, too, is excited to learn from Jones – a fellow top-10 pick who went through highs and lows over his six seasons with the New York Giants.
"The main thing I want to learn from him is how to navigate the pressure of everything, how to navigate when things aren't going the best how you stay with it and stay focused and just keep grinding, and also how to work," Richardson said. "He's a smart guy so I'm looking forward to just learning everything that he has to offer and just getting better as a team."
The winner of this quarterback competition will come down to whose performance and consistency gives the Colts the best chance to win. Both Ballard and Steichen have been clear there's not a favorite to win the job, nor is there a timetable on when a QB1 will be named.
And while every competition comes with a winner and a loser, the Colts expect both Richardson and Jones to help them at some point during the 2025 season. Individually, though, Richardson isn't thinking about winning against Jones or losing to him.
"Everybody can look at the situation differently. I would just like to say I'm blessed," Richardson said. "I still have an opportunity to be in the NFL, I still have an opportunity to go out there and compete and win the job for the team. So I'm just blessed. I'm excited to continue to work — it kind of feels like I just got drafted again. I'm just excited to be here."
