Latest / The Sports Hangover Daily / Colts Give Up on Anthony Richardson | May 3, 2026
Transcript
- Welcome to The Sports Hangover Daily, I'm Michael Benatar. Today on the show: the Colts officially gave up on Anthony Richardson, Mahomes is rehabbing like a maniac and might be at OTAs in three weeks, the Sixers just pulled off the fourteenth three to one comeback in NBA playoff history, and the Hurricanes opened Round Two with a shutout. Let's get into it. Alright, Indianapolis. This one's been coming for a while. The Colts officially declined Anthony Richardson's fifth-year option. And I know people are gonna say "well, they can still extend him later," but come on. You don't decline the fifth-year option on a former top-five pick unless you've already made up your mind. This is the Colts telling you, without saying it out loud, that they don't think Anthony Richardson is the guy. And honestly? I don't blame them. He's been hurt constantly, he's been inconsistent when he's played, and the leash on young quarterbacks in this league gets shorter every year. But what kills me about this whole situation — they traded up for him. They were all-in. They built around him. And now they're walking away before the fifth-year option even kicks in. That's a full reset at the most important position in sports, and the Colts don't have an obvious Plan B sitting on the roster. This is a franchise that went from Andrew Luck retiring to Carson Wentz to Matt Ryan to Richardson, and now they're potentially starting over AGAIN. At some point you gotta ask — is it the quarterbacks, or is it the organization? Because the pattern is ugly. NFL stuff — Patrick Mahomes is apparently living at the Chiefs facility right now. Brett Veach went on the Pat McAfee Show and said Mahomes is there from seven in the morning until three or four o'clock every single day grinding through his ACL rehab. Then Andy Reid popped up at rookie minicamp and said Mahomes could do some things at OTAs starting May twenty-sixth. That's three weeks from now. The man tore his ACL AND his LCL in Week fifteen against the Chargers, and he might be doing on-field work before Memorial Day. That's not normal. The Chiefs went six and eleven without him, so this whole franchise is on pause until he's back. Justin Fields is there as insurance, and they grabbed Garrett Nussmeier in the seventh round, but let's be real — none of that matters if Mahomes is healthy for Week one. Also in roster news — the Steelers declined Broderick Jones's fifth-year option after the offensive tackle had neck surgery. ESPN's Brooke Pryor said they probably would've picked it up without the injury. That's a tough break. And the Chiefs declined Felix Anudike-Uzomah's option too. Not a great weekend for the twenty twenty-three first-round class. The Niners are shopping Brandon Aiyuk after voiding his twenty twenty-six guarantees. John Lynch told reporters: "We're available. Give us a call." Aiyuk hasn't played since that devastating knee injury in twenty twenty-four. He's got three years left on a hundred and twenty million dollar deal, but nobody's paying that for a guy who hasn't been on the field in over a year. That's gonna be a fascinating market to watch. And Chase Claypool is trying to come back with the Packers on a tryout basis. He hasn't played since twenty twenty-three. I wish him well, but I'm not holding my breath. Over in the NBA, the Sixers pulled off something special. They went into Boston and won Game seven, one oh nine to one hundred, completing just the fourteenth three to one comeback in playoff history. Joel Embiid had thirty-four, twelve rebounds, and six assists. Tyrese Maxey went for thirty with eleven boards and seven assists. Those two were the third duo ever to each put up twenty-five, ten, and five in a Game seven. And Jared Edgecombe added twenty-three off the bench for Philly. The Celtics were without Jayson Tatum — knee stiffness kept him out. Jaylen Brown dropped thirty-three in a losing effort, but it wasn't enough. Philly advances to face the Knicks in Round Two. NHL — Carolina opened their second-round series against the Flyers with a three to nothing shutout. Logan Stankoven scored twice, giving him six playoff goals and extending his point streak to five games. Dan Vladař stopped all twenty shots. The Hurricanes swept Ottawa in Round One and they haven't slowed down. Here's your Hangover Take. The Colts declining Anthony Richardson's option isn't just bad for Indy — it should scare every team that's about to talk themselves into a project quarterback. Because this is what happens. You fall in love with the arm talent, you ignore the injury history, you convince yourself your coaching staff can fix the accuracy issues, and then two years later you're declining the fifth-year option and starting over. Some team is gonna pick Richardson up for cheap and put him in a better system. And Indy's gonna watch him turn into the quarterback they thought they were drafting. That's how this always goes. The NFL never learns. That's your hangover. Go hydrate. I'll see you tomorrow.