Colts HC Shane Steichen: ‘Until I Say Otherwise, Joe Flacco’s Our Guy Right Now’

The Colts suffered another loss on Sunday to the Bills with QB Joe Flacco throwing three interceptions and losing a fumble. 

While some may be wondering whether the Colts will go back to Anthony Richardson at quarterback, HC Shane Steichen made it clear after the game that Flacco will remain the team’s starter. 

“I didn’t, right there,” Steichen said when asked if he considered going to Richardson during the game, via Joel A. Erickson of the Indianapolis Star. “Until I say otherwise, Joe’s our guy right now.”

“[He’s] a guy that’s a veteran guy. We’ve had two games that we’d like to have back,” Steichen said. “Right now, Joe’s the guy.”

Flacco, 39, is a former first-round pick of the Ravens back in 2008. After over a decade in Baltimore, the Broncos agreed to trade a 2019 fourth-round pick to the Ravens for Flacco.

Flacco was in the fourth year of a six-year, $125 million contract that contained $44 million guaranteed and set to make a base salary of $20.25 million for 2020 when Denver released him with a failed physical designation.

He signed a one-year contract worth $1.5 million worth up to $4.5 million with the Jets in 2020 before joining the Eagles in 2021. Philadelphia traded him back to the Jets ahead of the deadline for a conditional sixth-round pick. 

Flacco later re-signed with the Jets on a one-year, $3.5 million deal in 2022. He signed on with the Browns during the season last year and parlayed a strong performance into a deal with the Colts. 

Entering today’s game, Flacco had appeared in four games for the Colts and completed 64.4 percent of his pass attempts for 895 yards, seven touchdowns, and two interceptions.