Former Florida QB Anthony Richardson explains plan to silence critics in letter to NFL teams

Few prospects in the 2023 NFL Draft have created an array of opinions as wide as former Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson, and Richardson penned a letter in the Player’s Tribune to NFL teams ahead of the draft talking about his background and how he plans to silence his critics.

Because for all of the hype around Richardson’s record NFL Combine and his insane athleticism, there are question marks about his ability on the field still.

“I may not pay attention to all the noise, but I do hear the critics,” Richardson wrote. “I know the things people are picking apart. People talk about whether I can be accurate. They say I don’t have touch. They say I can’t throw short. They say a lot of things. All I gotta say is: Watch how hard I work.”

Richardson broke down his background and waxed poetic about an Uncle Tanka who introduced him to the game.

He discussed how important his mom has been in teaching him valuable life and football lessons and how much she means to him.

The super athletic Florida quarterback discussed several different motivations, all of which pointed to one basic fact: Anthony Richardson is out to silence the critics.

“In my mind, I can do anything with the football in my hand — but I know that no one will ever work harder than me to improve,” he said. “Whether that’s my footwork, accuracy, mechanics, learning defenses, you name it. You can always grow, and that’s what I’m focused on. I’m going to come in and be tireless. I’m going to put it all on the line. My family sacrificed too much for me to not give everything to this game.”

When Richardson needs a little boost, he has some hard life experiences he can fall back on as motivation to do better, to push further.

“It’s basically always been me, my younger brother, Corey, and my mom,” Richardson wrote. “And the way I grew up, we didn’t always have it, you know what I’m saying?? Sometimes we didn’t have food to eat. Didn’t have new clothes, had to wash the ones we did have in the sink. Didn’t always have the best apartment. But my mom always worked for everything. Didn’t question it, didn’t complain. She just did what she had to do.

“So I’ll say this: I might not have gone to as many camps as other guys at this position, but not everybody had a mom like mine. Not everybody had to learn them lessons the way I did, through watching her. And I’m glad that’s the life I got dealt, the one God gave me, because it’s made me who I am today.”

If Anthony Richardson wants to silence the critics, ultimately it will happen on the gridiron.

That’s where he’ll be counted on, likely as a first-round NFL Draft pick, to make a major difference for a team. He certainly has the ability.

In one season starting at Florida he threw for 2,549 yards and 17 touchdowns while rushing for 654 yards and nine more scores.

His completion percentage needs work. His accuracy can be off from time to time. His processing speed needs to pick up. Eventually he’ll need to be more comfortable making plays from the pocket.

But for all of that, Richardson is ready to get to work.

“I just want to make the most of this opportunity, and inspire the kids who are going through what I went through and might have a story like mine,” Richardson wrote. “I want to show them that they can go anywhere they want to go in life. This isn’t just about doing something for me. It’s bigger than that.

“So, to all the coaches and GMs who are reading this: See you at the draft. If you call the name Anthony Richardson, I promise that you won’t regret it.”