Often-Sidelined Colts Quarterback Reveals a Back Injury He’s Had for Years

Anthony Richardson looks on as the Indianapolis Colts play the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., on Dec. 29. Luke Hales/Getty Images

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson may have been dealing with a significant back injury.

Richardson did not play in the Colts’ 45-33 loss to the New York Giants on Dec. 29. At a press conference in the team’s locker room Wednesday, Richardson said he has been dealing with a back injury since eighth grade, and it has gotten worse recently, to the point where he was barely able to walk last week. The injury is another setback for the second-year quarterback, who missed most of his rookie year with a shoulder injury.

“Just dealing with my back. Lower back stuff,“ Richardson said. ”Last week was tough. I couldn’t even stand up on Tuesday, I could barely even walk, was crawling around the house, but I’m here, I’m standing now. If I can do everything in my power to get on the field, I’m going to do so. That was my mindset last week as well, but I could barely move.”

Richardson said the pain last week was “scary.” He had an MRI, which identified a disc issue that had been there for some time, and could have been exacerbated during Indy’s 38-30 win over the Tennessee Titans the previous week. Richardson said he always assumed that his issues were muscle tightness from his intense workout routine. He said the injury might be chronic, but the doctors who examined his back said the injury was not severe enough to require surgery and hopefully never would be. He hoped to be able to learn to keep his body out of certain positions to prevent further injuries and continue to play.

In his press conference Wednesday, Colts head coach Shane Steichen said he was “hopeful” about Richardson playing against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Jan. 5.

“He’s working through his rehab and his treatment right now, so we'll see how the week progresses with that,” said Steichen.

Richardson has struggled to stay on the field since being drafted fourth overall by the Colts in 2023. In Week 2 of his rookie season, he suffered a concussion against the Houston Texans that caused him to miss the next game. He then suffered a significant AC joint sprain in his right throwing shoulder. He was initially expected to miss only one to two months, but eventually underwent surgery to repair the sprain and missed the remainder of the season, playing in just four games.

This season, Richardson missed weeks 5 and 6 with an oblique injury. He returned for the Week 7 win over the Miami Dolphins. However, he was benched after the Colts’ Week 8 loss to the Texans for two games in favor of backup Joe Flacco. After Flacco lost two games in a row, Richardson was named starter for the rest of the season, until he missed Sunday’s game. He was also on the did-not-participate (DNP) list on Wednesday and again Thursday ahead of the matchup with Jacksonville. If he misses Sunday’s game, he will have appeared in just 15 games over his first two seasons in the NFL.

Even without the injuries, Richardson has struggled this year. He has just a 47.7 completion percentage, and has thrown more interceptions (12) than touchdowns (8).

Steichen recognized his young signal-caller’s performance. “He’s had some great moments, I'll tell you what, he really has,” he said. “Obviously the injuries have been not great, obviously we want him out there all the time, but he has shown signs of greatness out there.”