NFL News: Are the Colts already preparing to move on from Anthony Richardson?

The Indianapolis Colts are quickly entering that dangerous place in the NFL: quarterback purgatory.

It wasn’t supposed to be this way, not after general manager Chris Ballard pulled the trigger on Anthony Richardson in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft. The fourth overall pick that year, Richardson was supposed to finally be the answer at quarterback that the Colts have been looking for since Andrew Luck’s untimely retirement.

Unfortunately, all he’s done through his first two seasons is create more questions than answers.

Now entering his third pro season, Richardson faces stiff competition for the starting job from Daniel Jones, who every analyst would agree is a failed first-round pick up to this point in his career.

But Richardson’s horrendous display as a passer, combined with his surprisingly fragile physical make up, has Jones as the likely front-runner for the gig, which has Richardson’s future with the Colts on shaky ground.

In fact, a recent 2026 NFL Mock Draft from Pro Football Sports Network has Indianapolis moving on from the former Florida Gator and taking another swing at their QB-next in Penn State’s Drew Allar.

The Colts pick seventh overall and spend it on the gunslinging Nittany Lion.

“Allar is a polarizing prospect with some believing he’s not worthy of a first-round selection. However, the Penn State product has the best raw arm talent in this class and saw a significant jump in accuracy from 2023 to 2024,” PFSN wrote. “While Penn State’s elite rushing attack often overshadows him, Allar is still a very good prospect and should be a Day 1 pick in 2026.”

Allar would’ve challenged to be a first-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft had he decided to turn pro, but his surprise return to Penn State for the upcoming college football season has him in the mix to be the QB1 for the 2026 NFL Draft.

If the Colts season goes as poorly as this mock draft predicts it will, then it means Ricahrdson was an absolute failure for the third year in a row. And if that happens, there’s no way Indianapolis can justify bringing him back for a fourth swing at the starting job.

Anthony Richardson has completed just 50.6% of his passes for 2,391 yards, 11 touchdowns and 13 interceptions through two seasons in the NFL.