Colts Sign Joe Flacco As QB Mentor To Anthony Richardson

Free agent quarterback Joe Flacco signed a one-year deal with the Indianapolis Colts Wednesday that will include $4.5 million guaranteed. Flacco could end up as a capable veteran passer under center, but it’s clear that the team is bringing him in as a mentor for second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson.

“I am really excited about going to Indy and working with their young guy,” Flacco said on The Pat McAfee Show Thursday.

After less than a half-season with the Jets in 2022, Flacco appeared to be on his way out of the league until the Browns came calling in dire need late in the 2023 season.

With starter Deshaun Watson struggling with multiple injuries, the team called on the longtime Ravens quarterback to take the reins. Flacco had a brief renaissance, throwing for 1,600 yards with 13 touchdowns and leading Cleveland to the postseason.

Even at age 39, Flacco’s performance for Cleveland ensured that he would stay in the league for at least one season. Indianapolis ended up signing the veteran. In addition to the guaranteed money, Flacco can also earn more than $4 million in incentives as well.

Though he could end up being the Colts’ starter, it is unlikely that Flacco will be the same emergency option he was for the Browns. The team is likely hoping that his experience proves more valuable than his ability. Indianapolis is trying to turn Richardson, a talented but raw athlete, into a franchise-defining player. Based on his brief rookie season, it’s easy to see the potential.

After just one season as a starter at the University of Florida, Richardson entered the 2023 NFL Draft with plenty of hype and concerns. At one point in the league’s history, he would have fallen in the draft. He was, and still is, considered a serious project, a player with endless potential but limited fundamentals.

In the Patrick Mahomes era, teams have been more willing to see the diamond in the coal, and the Colts took the 21-year-old with the fourth overall pick. Even more ambitious, the team named him the Week 1 starter.

In four games, Richardson seemed to affirm everything scouts said about him out of college, for better or worse. On the one hand, he proved to be a tremendous athlete, capable of effortlessly launching the ball downfield. He even showed some unexpected precision on anticipation throws. When he wasn’t throwing, he proved highly effective as a runner earning four rushing touchdowns to his three through the air.

On the other hand, Richardson demonstrated a clear inability to protect himself and tried to unnecessarily extend several plays. This led to three fumbles in a short span, but there were even worse consequences. He suffered a concussion in Week 2 and a joint sprain in Week 5, the latter of which ended his season before it could really begin.

Richardson spent the rest of the season on the bench behind Gardner Minshew, who competed well but ultimately failed to lead the Colts to the postseason. Several Colts coaches have claimed that the time off was good for Richardson, who has reportedly responded well to teaching efforts. Flacco will likely be expected to teach him further as Richardson steps back into the starting role.