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Colts’ Anthony Richardson hopes to finish recovery early, ‘throw next month’

Indianapolis Colts rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson, speaking at a Colts holiday event Tuesday at Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, said he hopes to finish his recovery from a right shoulder injury early and begin throwing a football next month.

“They said 16 weeks after the surgery, but hopefully I’m trying to push to get (back) before that, but we’ll see,” said Richardson, who had season-ending shoulder surgery on Oct. 24. “Hopefully, I can throw next month, but if not, whenever that time does come, I know I’m gonna rip it.”

Tuesday marked eight weeks since Richardson’s surgery to repair the Grade 3 AC joint sprain he suffered in his right (throwing) shoulder in Week 5. The injury occurred after he was tackled at the end of a 4-yard run against the Tennessee Titans.

“It’s been up and down for me a little bit,” Richardson said of his recovery. “I never missed a season in my whole career just playing football, and this is something new for me, a new experience. It’s allowing me to learn more about myself, learn more about the game and learn more about the people that I do have in the building.”

Richardson said it was hard for him to decide to have surgery and chose to do so after doctors agreed it was best for his career long-term.

“Although I didn’t want to get the surgery at the time, I wanted to play and I wanted to be there for my team, but this was probably the best thing for me and my future and for the team,” he said. “It allows me to come back healthy, 100 percent. I’m looking forward to next season, balling out.”

Richardson finished his rookie season with 577 passing yards, three touchdowns and one interception.

In October, Dr. Clint Soppe of Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute in Los Angeles spoke with The Athletic about Richardson’s injury and said once an AC joint sprain reaches a Grade 3 level, it’s considered more of a “severe” injury. Soppe also said a Grade 3 level sprain would be treated without surgery in most people, but “if you’re gonna fix (a Grade 3 AC joint sprain) with surgery, it’s gonna be an NFL quarterback or a Major League Baseball pitcher, or somebody like that who needs complete function of their shoulder.”

“It’s been up and down for me a little bit,” Richardson said of his recovery. “I never missed a season in my whole career just playing football, and this is something new for me, a new experience. It’s allowing me to learn more about myself, learn more about the game and learn more about the people that I do have in the building.”

Richardson said it was hard for him to decide to have surgery and chose to do so after doctors agreed it was best for his career long-term.

“Although I didn’t want to get the surgery at the time, I wanted to play and I wanted to be there for my team, but this was probably the best thing for me and my future and for the team,” he said. “It allows me to come back healthy, 100 percent. I’m looking forward to next season, balling out.”

Richardson finished his rookie season with 577 passing yards, three touchdowns and one interception.

In October, Dr. Clint Soppe of Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute in Los Angeles spoke with The Athletic about Richardson’s injury and said once an AC joint sprain reaches a Grade 3 level, it’s considered more of a “severe” injury. Soppe also said a Grade 3 level sprain would be treated without surgery in most people, but “if you’re gonna fix (a Grade 3 AC joint sprain) with surgery, it’s gonna be an NFL quarterback or a Major League Baseball pitcher, or somebody like that who needs complete function of their shoulder.”

The Colts have gone 5-4 since losing Richardson and tabbed Gardner Minshew to take over at quarterback. Indianapolis holds the AFC’s No. 7 playoff seed and would be in the postseason if it started today. Minshew is a free agent after this season.

“I’m not surprised,” Richardson said of the team’s playoff push. “When I got here, that was my whole mindset: playoff, playoff, playoff so we can have a shot to win the Super Bowl. The guys, they’ve been going crazy.”