Anthony Richardson is still on the Colts’ roster. That is starting to feel like a temporary situation.
Trade rumors around the Indianapolis quarterback resurfaced this week. Multiple league sources confirmed that Richardson’s camp has continued to push for a fresh start. The Colts have not been willing to deal him at a discount, but that calculus is shifting.
Richardson’s request for a trade earlier this offseason was rebuffed by Indianapolis. The team’s stance was that he is the long-term answer at quarterback, that they wanted to see what he could do healthy, and that they were not making a panic move. Three months later, no panic move has been made, but the noise is louder.
The Colts’ situation is complicated. Daniel Jones is on the roster as the veteran insurance policy. Joe Flacco is gone. Indianapolis spent first-round draft capital on Tyler Shough at quarterback in April. The depth chart at the position is suddenly crowded.
Richardson is the most physically gifted quarterback on the roster. He is also the most inconsistent. He has missed significant time with injuries every year of his career. His completion percentage has never gotten above 60. His decision-making in the pocket has not progressed the way the team hoped.
The Shough pick was the clearest signal. The Colts spent the No. 14 overall pick on a quarterback when they already had two on the roster. That is a team telling you what it actually thinks about Richardson’s long-term outlook, even if Chris Ballard will never say it publicly.
The teams reportedly interested in Richardson are the ones with quarterback questions and the willingness to bet on traits. The Browns are at the top of the list. They moved Deshaun Watson and have not landed on a permanent answer. The Raiders are right there too. The Saints could pivot if their quarterback room shakes up.
The asking price is the issue. The Colts are not willing to take a fifth-round pick for the No. 4 overall selection from two years ago. They want at minimum a second-round pick, ideally a first. No team has been willing to pay that.
Richardson’s representation has done a careful job of keeping his name in the conversation without going scorched-earth. He has not publicly demanded a trade. He has not skipped any team functions. He has done everything by the book, which actually makes a midseason move more likely.
The Colts could carry him into camp, see what happens with Daniel Jones in the preseason, and then trade Richardson when teams have injuries at the position. That is the smart play. It maximizes the return.
For Richardson, the patience is wearing thin. He turns 25 in the spring. He has thrown for fewer than 4,000 career passing yards. He needs reps. He needs a fresh start. He needs to play.
The Colts are running out of reasons to keep him around. The trade conversation is not going away. Indianapolis has to decide whether it is dealing or developing. The next six weeks will tell.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
