When Shane Steichen announced on Wednesday that the Colts made a quarterback change, moving from Anthony Richardson to Joe Flacco "going forward," Steichen emphasized the switch does not mean the Colts have lost faith in Richardson.
"Not giving up on Anthony by any means – really not," the Colts head coach said. "He's a young player with a ton of talent and he'll use this time to continue to develop and grow as a professional."
Richardson's teammates, who believed in him from the moment he put on a Colts jersey, said this week their faith in him, too, hasn't wavered. So while he may be learning and growing on the sidelines instead of on the field, he'll be supported by the guys around him as he does.
"Obviously, I let AR know that despite the situation, the guys always got his back and we're always here for him," defensive tackle DeForest Buckner said. "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, just don't let this moment define him as a player, as a person. It's here for him to develop and it's going to help him shape into the person he's meant to be."
"I still have a bunch of faith in AR and know that when he gets his next opportunity that he's going to do well," guard Quenton Nelson said. "He's coming to work every day and getting here early and grinding even harder which, being a teammate, you love to see that out of him."
While Richardson admitted getting the news hurt, his teammates said he's handling his new reality "about as well as you could," center Ryan Kelly said.
"I know he's really banged up about it, but he's a professional and he's a great teammate," linebacker Zaire Franklin said. "So, I know he's going to still continue to go and do everything he can do to help his team win."
"We knew we had to grow with – grow through it with him," Franklin added. "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."
Steichen said he believes that being able to sit back and watch a veteran quarterback like Flacco will help Richardson learn and grow. And, with 17 years of being an NFL quarterback, Flacco also has a different perspective based on his experience.
"If you can kind of give any of that to him in terms of just, this doesn't have to be a negative thing," Flacco said. "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."
"You grow in so many ways from little things like this that you think are setbacks, but really they are growth opportunities that are going to propel you forward," Flacco added. "The NFL is a really hard business, and really hard decisions have to be made. Then as players and coaches, you have to go through those things and you're kind of on your own to a certain extent and the only thing that can come out of that is growth. You will grow in some way and become better because of it."
Other players, instead of giving him advice, just made sure Richardson knew they still fully believed in him.
"I don't think that this is over," wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. said. "I think he's going to come back better from this."
"AR is 22," wide receiver Josh Downs, who has been close with Richardson since the two were drafted in 2023, said. "He's still the number four overall pick. He's just gonna learn from this and I know he's gonna get better. Everybody saying this and that. Man, that's still my dog. Everybody still loves five."
