The Indianapolis Colts look at lot different in December 2025 than they did in August.
Just a few months ago, the Colts were entering the season with low expectations within NFL circles and fan conversation — the team went 8-9 in 2024, didn't have a very active offseason, and was engaging a quarterback battle between a veteran on a one-year deal and a young passer clearly still developing.
Daniel Jones won the starting job over Anthony Richardson though, and everything has changed for Indianapolis since then. Jones led the team to an 8-2 start. But now, with Jones' season-ending Achilles injury, Richardson still isn't even in line to start for the Colts.
In fact, Indianapolis signed 44-year-old potential Hall of Famer Philip Rivers to its practice squad, with the chance that Richardson also sits on the bench behind the aging quarterback.
Where is Richardson? Here's what to know about his current status with the Colts in their ongoing quarterback saga.
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- Why the Colts are signing 44-year-old Philip Rivers
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- How Daniel Jones' injury impacts Colts' playoff chances
- Full Colts quarterback timeline since Andrew Luck's retirement
- Why Anthony Richardson isn't available to start for Colts
What happened to Anthony Richardson?
Anthony Richardson is currently injured. He's been on the Colts' injured reserve since October, when he sustained an orbital fracture due to what was called a "freak pregame incident," per ESPN.
When healthy, Richardson was viewed as the backup to Daniel Jones after the two competed for the starting job in training camp. The former No. 4 overall pick, however, has continued to struggle with injuries in 2025, even while appearing in just two games this season, late in the fourth quarter of blowouts.
According to ESPN, when Richardson was engaging in his pregame routine in October, he "affixed an elastic stretch band" to a pole, and the pole snapped, "resulting in the pole forcefully impacting his face." It left the quarterback "badly injured," so much so that his vision was temporarily impaired, but there was no damage to his eye.
The pregame incident occurred in the locker room, per ESPN. Since then, Richardson has been unavailable for nearly two months while on IR.
In the meantime, rookie quarterback Riley Leonard moved up on the depth chart to become Jones' top backup — and the Notre Dame alum was needed in Week 14, when Jones went down with his Achilles injury.
However, with Jones and Richardson out, plus Leonard potentially unavailable for Week 15, the Colts signed Philip Rivers out of free agency.
MORE WEEK 15 NFL:
What is Anthony Richardson's injury?
Anthony Richardson is dealing with an orbital fracture in his face. He's been on IR since October after a pregame incident resulted in the injury.
Richardson's vision was temporarily impaired by the injury because of swelling, per ESPN, leaving him with "some blurriness in one eye that is now clearing." Initially, there was concern of damage to his eye — he was rushed to the hospital by paramedics, but has avoided damage to the eye.
"Any time you're dealing with an eye, you want to make sure he's got full vision in that eye," head coach Shane Steichen said, per ESPN. "He's resting it right now, and once he's cleared to go, I'll let you guys know."
MORE: Updated NFL playoff picture entering Week 15
Anthony Richardson return timeline
Richardson still has not been cleared to return to action as of Week 15. According to NBC Sports, the Colts "don’t know when or if" Richardson will be cleared at any point in 2025.
"He won't be [practicing] this week," head coach Shane Steichen said of Richardson. "He's still working through. Obviously, it's an eye; it's very delicate, and so he's just resting it, and once the doctors and trainers clear him to be activated. That's just where it's at right now. Still just healing up."
Steichen's not sure if Anthony Richardson will be able to return before the season's over. Says right now, "he's not ready."
— Angela Moryan (@AngelaMoryanTV) December 8, 2025
MORE: pic.twitter.com/ELUBkiR5Im
On Dec. 3, before Jones' season-ending injury, Steichen said Richardson still had not been cleared for football-related activities. However, the young quarterback is considered "closer" to that point, and Indianapolis has not ruled him out for a return this season, per ESPN.
Steichen also said Richardson has been engaging in training activities in the weight room more recently, and he has been more present at team facilities after initially being told by doctors to rest at home. Richardson attended his first Colts game since the injury on Nov. 30 against the Houston Texans.
If Richardson can get healthy in time, he'd enter the mix for the Colts' starting job, especially because he was still in consideration for it just a few months ago. However, Indianapolis has also signaled that it wants to be more patient with Richardson's development — he has struggled in his time on the field on top of the injuries — so the team may choose to sit him regardless of his eligibility to return.
With the Colts sitting at 8-5 and in playoff contention, their immediate quarterback options are Rivers and Leonard. If Richardson's orbital fracture heals in the coming weeks, he could also trot out onto the field and try to lead Indianapolis to the postseason.
MORE: Inside Philip Rivers' extensive family tree
Anthony Richardson contract
As a rookie in 2023, Anthony Richardson signed a four-year, $34 million contract with the Colts that also includes a club option in 2027, per Spotrac.
Richardson, who has started in 15 games in his NFL career so far with a completion percentage of 50.6% and 13 interceptions, will be under contract with the Colts through the 2026 season, at a minimum. If Indianapolis picks up his team option in 2027, he would then be set to become a free agent at age 25 in 2028.