"He ain't never been a marksman": Shannon Sharpe sounds off on Anthony Richardson’s accuracy as Colts QB returns from injury

Shannon Sharpe issued a warning regarding Anthony Richardson, as the young quarterback prepares to start his third season in the NFL. Richardson's rookie season was cut short due to an injury, and his second one wasn't exempt from controversy amid an internal competition with veteran Joe Flacco.

In a "Nightcap" clip shared on Saturday, the three-time Super Bowl champion, Sharpe, together with Chad Ochocinco, discussed Richardson's subpar numbers, which can result in his exit from the NFL. Sharpe said that if Richardson doesn't elevate his completion percentage, he will find himself in a lot of trouble.

"They showed his numbers from the time he was a quarterback in high school, 9th grade, 10th, 11th and at Florida. He ain't never been a marksman," Sharpe said (Timestamp: 00:50). "He's a 40-50% completion guy. His completion percentage is lower than Tebow's. Tebow's is 47%. He was at 48% last year. "In today's game, if you're not at least 60%, you're not good. It's not like it was, I remember when like 55%-57% was good because of the way they play."

Looking to predict NFL playoff Scenarios? Try our NFL Playoff Predictor for real-time simulations and stay ahead of the game!

After the shoulder injury limited him to four games during his rookie season, Anthony Richardson played 11 games in 2024. That said, more snaps played didn't translate into a better completion percentage. He posted 59.5% in 2023 (50-of-84) and 47.7% in 2024 (126-of-264).

Richardson threw for 1,814 yards and eight touchdowns against 12 interceptions last campaign. The alarms are set within the Indianapolis Colts franchise and Daniel Jones' hiring only fueled speculation about Richardson's tenure in Indy coming to an end.

With Joe Flacco back in Cleveland, Richardson has another quarterback trying to get his spot in one of the biggest storylines coming into training camp.

NFL analyst says Anthony Richardson's starting job is in jeopardy

According to Jeff Kerr of CBS Sports, Anthony Richardson must prove what he's made of this summer to secure his starting spot. The shoulder injury gave Daniel Jones time to familiarize himself with the offense and show coaches what he can do under center.

"Richardson needs to take command of the offense this summer, or he will be watching Jones start Week 1. His shoulder injury may give Jones the job, especially if Jones impresses with the first team while Richardson is on the mend,” Kerr said.

Anthony Richardson is still in his rookie deal, meaning that the Colts wouldn't have much of a problem getting rid of his contract or simply benching him for Jones.

Edited by Alvin Amansec