In addition to his offseason work improving his on-field fundamentals, Anthony Richardson Sr. changed his diet as he continues to compete with Daniel Jones to be the Week 1 starting quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts.
Speaking to ESPN’s Stephen Holder, Richardson revealed he cut out sweets as part of a new diet plan to keep his body in peak condition for the NFL season.
“I had to cut the sweets out, man,” Richardson said “It’s the candy. I used to be big on Skittles and all that stuff, just eating candy all the time. So, I’ve been just trying to cut out the sugary stuff and hydrate more. I need to be more of a pro when it comes to my eating.”
Richardson added that he has cut 10 pounds, bringing his weight down to 240. Even though his physique was never cited as an issue—if anything, it elevated his profile coming out of college because of how big and physical he could play—some of the bad eating habits he said may have impacted his ability on the field.
The most infamous moment of Richardson’s 2024 season was checking himself out of a Week 8 game against the Houston Texans for one play. He admitted afterward to being “tired” from having to run around on multiple plays leading up to that moment.
“I just feel like the things I was doing last year and the year before, I feel like there was more [to do],” Richardson told Holder about his renewed approach this offseason. “All the greats, they always do more. They do more than what other people are expecting them to do. After last season, I felt like I needed to do more not only for the team, but for myself. If I want to be a great and I want to be in the Hall of Fame one day, I have to do more. I know I have to go do things that other people won’t do.”
Injuries and poor performance have resulted in Richardson being a disappointment through his first two seasons. The No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 draft has a 47.7 completion percentage in 15 starts over the past two years. No other quarterback has completed fewer than 58.4 percent of their attempts during that span (minimum 14 attempts per game).
The Colts signed Jones to a one-year, $14 million contract in free agency to add competition for Richardson going into this season. They are getting an even split of first-team reps through the first week of training camp, with no clear frontrunner at this point.
Both quarterbacks will get their first chance to make a statement in the Colts’ preseason opener next week. The Colts will play the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on Aug. 7.