NFL notes: Colts lucky to have former WSU quarterback Gardner Minshew
Prized rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson has failed to finish three of the Indianapolis Colts’ games this season and missed another entirely. He exited Sunday’s victory over the Tennessee Titans with an injured right shoulder that reportedly will keep him sidelined at least this week and perhaps for a month or more.
Fortunately for the Colts, they added a steady backup, Gardner Minshew, for this season.
Minshew, the former Washington State University star, completed 11 of 14 passes for 155 yards Sunday in relief of Richardson. The Colts suffer basically no drop-off when he enters a game. They won at Baltimore in Week 3 in his lone start of the season, when Richardson was in the NFL’s concussion protocol.
There is no question that Richardson is the potential solution to the franchise’s quarterback issues. He should play whenever he is healthy enough to do so. But Minshew is a more than acceptable alternative.
The Colts’ 3-2 record puts them in a virtual tie with the Jacksonville Jaguars for first place in the AFC South. The teams meet Sunday in Jacksonville after the Jaguars won in Indianapolis to open the season. Minshew will start against his former team.
The Colts can continue to work tailback Jonathan Taylor back into a more prominent role. He had just six carries for 18 yards in Sunday’s 23-16 triumph over the Titans after the Colts activated him from the physically unable to perform list Saturday and announced that they had agreed with the former NFL rushing champion to a three-year, $42 million contract extension.
The running-game tandem of Taylor and Zack Moss, who ran for 165 yards and two touchdowns Sunday, could be productive. Minshew’s presence should help the Colts stay competitive while Richardson is out.
No Seahawks sale in sight?
There is growing sentiment within the league that the Seahawks might not be sold until at least 2025.
Some had expected the franchise to be sold next year. If the team is sold before May, the Seahawks would owe 10% of the sale price to the state of Washington, under the terms of a 1997 referendum that funded the construction of what is now called Lumen Field. That provision no longer applies thereafter, and some observers had regarded that as a prospective starting point for the sale process.
The trust of late owner Paul Allen has owned the team since the Microsoft co-founder’s death in 2018. Allen’s sister, Jody, has served as the de facto owner in her role as trustee of the trust. She also serves as chair of the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers, under the same circumstances. She has not specified when she might sell either team.
Some in the NFL are hopeful that Amazon founder Jeff Bezos will be involved in the bidding for the Seahawks. Bezos explored a bid for the Washington Commanders but never made one. Bezos has an estimated net worth of $152.3 billion, according to Forbes, making him the world’s third-wealthiest individual.
Jody Allen has given no indication to those within the NFL that she intends to sell the Seahawks in the near future, according to a person familiar with the matter. Whether Bezos is involved or not, the bidding may have to wait.