Anthony Richardson’s rookie season is over after suffering a shoulder injury that will require surgery.
The Indianapolis Colts quarterback went down after getting tackled on a run. However, Jim Irsay isn’t worried about limiting Richardson’s exposure outside the pocket moving forward.
“He’s not running too much. He’s protecting himself. He really is,” Irsay told Yahoo Sports’ Jori Epstein. “If you look at the one on the shoulder injury, you can’t believe it happened. It’s just a normal tackle.”
Anthony Richardson was injured three times in four games. All three were on running plays.
As surgery shuts him down, are Colts concerned?
“He’s not running too much,” Jim Irsay told @YahooSports. “He’s protecting himself. He really is.”
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— Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) October 19, 2023
It’s not the first time the Colts owner has witnessed a quarterback injure his shoulder. Andrew Luck missed the 2017 season recovering from shoulder surgery and retired two years later.
“For us, after going through what we went through with Andrew Luck, it’s tough,” Irsay said. “He just felt that the way the shoulder felt, the pain he was having and everything, Anthony felt that that was the best way to go. … We have every reason to believe that he can come back and be all of who he can be.”
Running is a huge part of Richardson’s game. He rushed for 654 yards and nine touchdowns during his final season at Florida and scored four rushing touchdowns in his first three NFL games.
While the Colts will want to avoid any more setbacks for the No. 4 pick, grounding Richardson would also take away a major skill that compelled them to draft him.
Irsay looked ahead to a successful return when confirming Wednesday that Richardson will undergo season-ending surgery.
“Anthony is a competitor, and we know how difficult and disappointing this is for him and our team,” he wrote on social media. “We collected several medical opinions and we felt this was the best course of action for his long-term health. We anticipate a full recovery and there is no doubt Anthony has a promising future.”