INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis Colts rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson will have season-ending shoulder surgery, coach Shane Steichen said Wednesday.
Steichen said the team sought multiple opinions from doctors and ultimately decided surgery was the best option for the long-term health of the former Florida Gators star.
“Anthony is a competitor, and we know how difficult and disappointing this is for him and our team,” Colts owner Jim Irsay said in a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Richardson, the fourth overall pick in the April NFL draft, suffered a sprained AC joint in his right shoulder at the end of a short run against Tennessee on Oct. 8. With Richardson out, veteran Gardner Minshew will continue to start. Indy (3-3) hosts Cleveland (3-2) on Sunday.
Richardson was hurt when he hit the ground awkwardly. He stayed down for several minutes before walking slowly to the team’s medical tent, his right shoulder drooping. Richardson did not return to that 23-16 victory and went on injured reserve last week.
The 6-foot-4, 244-pound QB has been injury-prone in his first NFL season.
He missed the final minute of Indy’s season opener with a bruised knee and sore ankle, left with a concussion in the first half of a Week 2 victory over Houston and missed the following week while in the concussion protocol. Then, one week after returning to the field and finishing his first NFL game, he hurt his shoulder.
Richardson was off to a promising beginning after winning the starting job. He threw for 577 yards, three TDs and one interception while completing 59.7% of his throws in four games. He also has 25 carries for 136 yards and four TDs, becoming the first quarterback of the Super Bowl era with TD runs in each of his first three NFL games.
