If Anthony Richardson is going to shake his label as a NFL draft bust, it’s going to be somewhere other than the Colts.
The Colts granted Richardson permission to seek a trade, according to multiple reports, despite uncertainty at the top of their quarterback depth chart. Starter Daniel Jones, who displaced Richardson last season, is coming off of a torn Achilles and headed toward free agency.
Richardson was the No. 4 pick — and the third quarterback selected — in the 2023 NFL Draft. The scouting report called for patience to reach a high ceiling because he was just a one-year starter at Florida who packaged a rare combination of athleticism and size.
Instead Richardson was benched after just 10 career starts early in his second season in favor of veteran Joe Flacco. Questions emerged about his work ethic and leadership, culminating with him asking to sub out of a game because he was fatigued.
Then the Colts signed the Giants cast-off Jones to compete with Richardson last offseason.
Jones won the job in a rout, Richardson suffered a fractured orbital bone during a freak pregame accident and finished the season on injured reserve — unable to play as the Colts convinced 44-year-old Philip Rivers to come out of retirement and try to save their playoff hopes while Jones was sidelined.
Richardson, 23, can look to examples like Sam Darnold, Baker Mayfield or Geno Smith for inspiration as quarterbacks who had short leashes on their first franchise but found success in a later chapter of their careers.
“I’m not going to say he needs a complete fresh start,” Colts general manager Chris Ballard said earlier this week at the NFL combine. “Anthony’s still young. He’s still developing, so we’ll see what the future holds. I still believe in Anthony.”
Given that Richardson is now available, Ballard’s words sound like trade posturing.
Richardson threw just two passes last season and has a career 17-game track record of 2,400 passing yards, 11 touchdowns, 13 interceptions and a 50.6 percent completion rate. The 6-foot-4, 244-pound bulldozer also has rushed for 634 yards and 10 touchdowns.
“I see a future (for Richardson),” Ballard said. “Kind of like with any player, you don’t know what’s going to happen. Things change.”
The Colts are expected to re-sign or franchise tag Jones to secure their starter.