Richardson, who celebrated his 22nd birthday on Wednesday, still has to prove that he can stay healthy and play with consistency at the NFL level. In just four games in his rookie year, he suffered a concussion, missing a game, and then hurt his shoulder getting tackled on a scramble, ending up with a Grade 3 AC joint sprain. Richardson finished the shortened season with 577 passing yards, 136 rushing yards and seven total touchdowns.

Asked Wednesday whether he’s considered altering his dual-threat game, which inspired Indy to take the dynamic QB at No. 4 overall in the 2023 draft, Richardson shrugged off concerns over his durability.

“I don’t think there’s any way I could have avoided what happened to me,” Richardson said, referring to his season-ending injury. “Just a regular, routine tackle. I tried to brace myself for the fall and just my shoulder did what it did. There’s nothing I could do about that.

“Changing my game and my play style? I don’t feel like there’s anything wrong with my play style. People see me, I’m a big quarterback, so they always think, ‘Oh, he wants to run the ball all the time, he wants to be physical and that’s what’s gonna get him hurt.’ But that’s not the case. The times I did get hurt… The one time, the one concussion, that was me completely because I slowed down by the end zone — you’re never supposed to do that. Everything else, it just happened because we play a dangerous game, and there’s nothing I can do about that.

“But necessarily changing my play? I don’t think I’m gonna change it, but being smart, knowing when to get extra yards and knowing when to get down, I feel like I know how to do that. It’s just I have to do it and do it at the right time, I guess. I don’t know if I’m gonna change my game, but being smarter for the team, of course.”

The Colts need Richardson around for them to be successful in an AFC South now run by fellow 2023 top-five pick C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans. How the QB and Indy’s offense adapt to their new reality following last year’s false start will be a narrative to watch this summer.