"I wouldn't even wait till Thanksgiving": Legendary Bengals QB makes feelings known on Caleb Williams while drawing parallels with Anthony Richardson

Former Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer has made his feelings known about current Chicago Bears signal-caller Caleb Williams.

Palmer appeared on The Herd with Colin Cowherd this week, where he was asked how long a franchise should give a quarterback before moving on. Cowherd suggested three years, with the “deadline” being Thanksgiving of the third season. Palmer agreed with that timeline in general, but he made it clear that talents like Williams shouldn’t require that much time to prove themselves.

"I mean, there is no better opportunity for, you know, for a head coach and a play caller, for him to play for. I think we'll see it by week five by week six. I wouldn't even wait all the way till Thanksgiving, because there's a resume of success and a history of success from college on."

Palmer pointed to Williams’ proven production at the collegiate level as a reason the Bears should expect results sooner rather than later. The former Heisman Trophy winner was one of the most successful quarterbacks in recent college football history, making him a different case than other young passers.

When the conversation shifted to the Indianapolis Colts and quarterback Anthony Richardson, Palmer drew a clear contrast between the two players. Richardson, in his view, didn’t have the same proven track record coming out of college and carried more risk.

"I think Anthony Richardson is in a different situation. You know, he was a high risk, you know, high reward type player, because he was so athletically gifted without having the resume and success at the collegiate level that Caleb had. You think back to that, that Florida year that he played, they didn't win a ton of games.

"He wasn't, ultra, you know, successful like Caleb was in college, and so really high risk, high reward guy. And I think what we saw in college at Florida is the same thing we've seen him do since he's been in Indy."

Colts seemingly ready to move on from Anthony Richardson

NFL: Green Bay Packers at Indianapolis Colts - Source: Imagn

The Colts selected Richardson with the fourth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, hoping he would become the long-term answer at quarterback. So far, though, he has struggled to stay healthy while also showing inconsistency as a passer.

This preseason, Richardson entered as the presumed starter but suffered another injury in the team’s opening game against the Baltimore Ravens. That created an opportunity for Daniel Jones, whom Indianapolis signed this offseason on a one-year deal. Jones took extra reps in practice and preseason action, and has now officially been named the starting quarterback.

With Richardson once again sidelined and Jones taking over, questions about the former first-round pick’s future in Indianapolis are growing louder. It remains to be seen whether Richardson will get another chance to reclaim the starting job before the season ends, or if the Colts will begin preparing to move forward without him as their franchise quarterback.