Shortly after it was learned that quarterback Anthony Richardson Sr. reported to the Indianapolis Colts for voluntary workouts on Monday, it was revealed that the trade request he submitted earlier this offseason “has not been rescinded” and that “he would still like to be dealt to another team.”
Some previously wondered if Colts general manager Chris Ballard simply didn’t want to sell Richardson for pennies on the dollar several years after the franchise made the signal-caller the fourth overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft. However, it sounds like Ballard wasn’t able to give Richardson away before or during this year’s player-selection process.
Anthony Richardson Sr. has no trade value this spring?
“There’s a reason no one took a flier on him in a trade, and it wouldn’t have taken much to get him,” NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated wrote about Richardson for a piece published on Tuesday. “He has a lot of work to do to reestablish his value as an NFL quarterback.”
The first three seasons of Richardson’s pro career were filled with far more lows than highs. He missed 17 regular-season contests due to injuries from September 2023 through the 2024 campaign, and he was temporarily benched during his second season after he took himself out of a game because he was “tired.”
Last summer, Richardson lost a competition for the Indianapolis starting job to Daniel Jones. Richardson then suffered an orbital fracture during a pregame warmup in October, and he hasn’t played since.
Could Anthony Richardson Sr. resurrect his career during the preseason?
While Jones is still recovering from the torn Achilles he suffered this past December, the Colts showed how they feel about him when they signed him to a two-year, $88M contract that could be worth up to $100M this offseason. The Colts seem to want 2025 sixth-round pick Riley Leonard to serve as Jones’ primary backup this coming fall, but Breer suggested that Richardson could push Leonard over the next several months.
“With Daniel Jones coming off a torn Achilles,” Breer continued, “there should be plenty of quality reps for Richardson to take, under the tutelage of (head coach) Shane Steichen and (offensive coordinator) Jim Bob Cooter, which could set him up for a nice preseason.”
The Colts declined the fifth-year option for 2027 attached to Richardson’s contract, so he would only be a short-term rental if any team acquires him before this fall’s trade deadline. Then again, perhaps clubs won’t make any Richardson-related move until he becomes an unrestricted free agent next offseason.