pete carroll
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Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll.
The Anthony Richardson experiment for the Indianapolis Colts appears to be ending in total failure. Just two years after the team drafted him with the No. 4 pick, they have benched him in favor of Daniel Jones.
While Richardson is still under contract, the Colts may be eager to trade him away and move on from the possible distraction. The young quarterback was always going to be a huge project for the team that drafted him, but the Colts just couldn’t afford to be patient.
Perhaps what’s best for Richardson is a fresh start on a team where he can learn behind a proven veteran. The Las Vegas Raiders were expected to consider drafting a quarterback early in the 2025 NFL Draft, but decided against it.
They like Geno Smith, but he’s turning 35 during the season. According to Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report, the Raiders are among the “dream” destinations for Richardson.
“In Las Vegas, Richardson would also get a chance to learn under offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, who is creative enough to highlight his strengths,” Knox wrote.
“The Florida product would also get to work under head coach Pete Carroll, who has an encouraging history with dual-threat quarterbacks—it was under his guidance that Russell Wilson put together a Hall of Fame resume with the Seattle Seahawks. … Oh, and did you know Tom Brady is a Raiders minority owner?”
Pete Carroll Almost Drafted Richardson
It’s no secret that Raiders head coach Pete Carroll loves players with elite athletic traits. He always likes to bet on talent.
Before he left the Seattle Seahawks, they were trying to figure out their long-term future at quarterback. They had the No. 5 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, when Richardson was in the class. Carroll admitted back then that the team was strongly considering drafting the quarterback.
“We considered him,” Carroll said on Seattle Sports Radio back in 2023, via Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic. “Shoot, we flew all the way out there to go see him. Not just to see him but to be around him and watch him and how he handled himself, and his program with all the hype that was going.
“We gave him tremendous consideration. He might be the best athlete that’s ever been drafted at that position. He’s arguably that. So, we had to definitely consider that.”
Richardson was off the board before the Seahawks selected, so we’ll never know for sure if they would’ve selected him, but he was clearly on Carroll’s mind.
Does Richardson Still Have Potential?
There are plenty of very athletic quarterbacks with huge arms who never turn into dependable starters. In recent years, players like Trey Lance and Zach Wilson come to mind.
Richardson has been working under an offensive-minded head coach in Shane Steichen, so it’s not like he hasn’t received good coaching. The biggest problem facing him is accuracy. He only completed 47.7% last season, which is far too low for a starting NFL quarterback. If he can’t improve his accuracy, he’s not going to be able to play for any team.