Anthony Richardson and the Colts sound ready for a breakup.
Given the Colts’ commitment to starting quarterback Daniel Jones, it is now viewed as “inevitable” that Richardson, the team’s 2023 first-round pick, will seek a trade ahead of the 2026 season, according to ESPN’s Stephen Holder.
Richardson, 24, has played just 17 games across his first three NFL seasons.
“There has been no request just yet, according to team sources,” Holder wrote Tuesday, “but it is beginning to feel inevitable.”
Richardson got left in the dust when Jones won last year’s preseason position battle and led the Colts to an 8–5 record before rupturing his Achilles in Week 13.
By that point, the former Florida standout was also sidelined after sustaining a freak orbital fracture in an “equipment mishap” involving elastic bands last October.
Instead, the snaps went to a returning Philip Rivers and 2025 sixth-rounder Riley Leonard, who impressed Colts brass during practice and in the regular-season finale — further muddying Richardson’s position on the depth chart.
After the season, Indianapolis reaffirmed its commitment to running it back with Jones under center when he recovers, which would imply an extension is on the horizon.
Richardson’s rookie season was cut short after four games due to a shoulder injury, and while he started 11 games in his second year, he drew the ire of teammates when he pulled himself out for one play against the Texans in Week 8.
Assuming Richardson’s vision fully recovers, signs point to him pursuing a career elsewhere — which will test his value on the trade market.
As outlined by Holder, several young quarterbacks — Kenny Pickett, Sam Howell, Justin Fields and Taylor Heinicke — have been flipped for draft capital across the past two seasons.
“There’s no reason to think the Colts couldn’t get something for a quarterback who will be just 24 next season and is a former first-round pick,” wrote Holder.
