Examine the Colts' QB situation with Joe Flacco starting after Anthony Richardson's benching

When Joe Flacco hit free agency at age 39, fresh off a stunning playoff run with the Browns, his agent reached out to every team in need of a QB.

And in March there were, as always, many.

But even after a resurgent performance that moved Cleveland into a wild-card spot following Deshaun Watson's season-ending shoulder injury, Flacco drew only slightly more interest than the previous year. In 2023 there was none. In 2024?

The reigning AP Comeback Player of the Year generated a total of… one offer. That came from the Colts, who signed him to a one-year deal worth up to $8.7 million and a base value of $4.5 million. That's it.

According to Linta, Joe Linta, who has represented the former Super Bowl MVP his entire career, received seven direct answers of “no,” one team said “we'll see” and the rest didn't respond. This one offer paid off.

Once again, Flacco is a starter in the NFL, leading the Colts into Sunday night's game against the Minnesota Vikings. This all comes after a tumultuous and momentous week for Indy, as head coach Shane Steichen benched former first-round pick Anthony Richardson for ineffectiveness and installed Flacco as the starter.

Richardson is now the second top QB pick from the 2023 draft this season. The Panthers benched Bryce Young after the second game of the season, only to reinstate him as a starter after veteran Andy Dalton joined last month injured his thumb in a car accident. Young will start again on Sunday, although Dalton is not listed on the injury report as the organization assumed in September that Young would be back under center this season.

Steichen said Wednesday that Flacco is the team's starter “in the future,” and sources said there is a real chance that Flacco, barring an injury, will be a starter for the rest of the season. But after this year, the Colts have no plans to give up on Richardson, according to sources. They believe he has a bright future and hope he will grow despite all odds.

He's still expected to be a starter again in the NFL, and when the Colts bros met with him this week, sources said they were actually several quarterbacks who needed years to find their form – including Jordan Love and Alex Smith.