Andrew Buller-Russ
While the Indianapolis Colts had a great season in 2025, quarterback Anthony Richardson did not. A raw talent who needs more in-game experience didn’t even get a chance to touch the field while dealing with a fractured orbital bone suffered during pregame warmups.
It was a tough blow to not only the former first-round pick, but also to the Colts, who haven’t quite signaled that they’re ready to give up on the 23-year-old. But after declining to pick up Richardson’s fifth-year contract option, it’s clear the Colts aren’t willing to further commit to the No. 4 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
More recently, the Colts have been open to trading the cannon-armed, dual-threat QB. Those discussions were expected to heat up during the 2026 NFL Draft, when teams realized they wouldn’t be able to land the QB prospect they coveted. Yet, here we are, two weeks after the draft, and Richardson is still a member of the Colts.
Now, ESPN’s NFL insider Adam Schefter has indicated that the team isn’t eager to move on from Richardson, and that a trade could still occur later in training camp or even during the season if another team’s QB suffers an injury.
“There could be injuries, there could be a team that a quarterback struggles, there might be somebody who’s willing to pay more for Anthony Richardson in August than they were in April prior to or during the NFL draft. And so, the Colts made the decision to hold onto the former high 1st-round draft pick and not deal him. And they figure they’ll move on with him on the roster and essentially address it later.”
Adam Schefter on Anthony Richardson trade
We’ve seen teams take this approach before. With how frequent injuries can be, and how quickly they can derail a season, there’s always a possibility that the Colts could benefit from another franchise’s downfalls later on. For now, they have a backup QB with star potential, which could even help Indianapolis as Daniel Jones works his way back from a torn Achilles.
Related: 2026 NFL QB Rankings: From NFL’s Worst Starting QB to the Best
