Signs continue to point to Anthony Richardson playing elsewhere in 2026. The embattled quarterback has requested a trade, James Boyd of The Athletic reports. 
To little surprise, ESPN’s Stephen Holder adds the Colts have given Richardson’s camp permission to seek a trade. The former No. 4 pick’s value will not be particularly high given how his NFL career has played out so far. Nevertheless, the lack of established QBs on the market this offseason could lead to at least some interest.
When speaking at the Combine yesterday, Colts GM Chris Ballard offered praise for Richardson. The 23-year-old has only made 15 starts and 17 appearances during the regular season so far. An orbital bone fracture kept Richardson sidelined through the end of the 2025 campaign, although Ballard said he has now been cleared for football activities. Boyd confirms Richardson has regained full vision in his right eye.
That will be a welcomed development for all involved, but it remains to be seen how many teams will be willing to proceed with a trade acquisition in this case. In December, a trio of NFL staffers pegged Richardson’s value at a fourth-round pick (the cost paid by the Cowboys when they acquired Trey Lance). A deal along those lines would obviously represent a massive disappointment for Indianapolis, but it would pave the way for Riley Leonard to handle backup duties in 2026. Of course, the Colts are in the midst of negotiations on a new Daniel Jones contract to ensure he remains atop the depth chart moving forward.
As for potential Richardson landing spots, Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network points to Minnesota as one to watch. He reports there is a mutual interest between the Vikings and Richardson. Kevin O’Connell has established a track record of quarterback development during his time as Minnesota’s head coach, and taking on another reclamation project would make plenty of sense. Given J.J. McCarthy‘s struggles so far, the Vikings are expected to bring in competition under center this spring.
That could entail pursuing a more experienced option on the open market like Kirk Cousins or Derek Carr. Alternatively, the Vikings could look at Richardson as a buy-low candidate capable of winning the QB1 gig for 2026 while McCarthy develops. Richardson has one year remaining on his rookie contract and he is set to carry a cap charge of $10.82MM in 2026. A trade would essentially create an even split of that figure between cap savings and dead money for the Colts.
Richardson makes no sense for the Vikings unless a backup to an experienced guy and trading JJ. Richardson has not proven anything and has actually regressed rather than improve over his short time.
Makes no sense for any NFL team. Maybe the USFL or WFL or whatever it’s called these days.
He can hand it off to Csonka and try to throw it to Warfield………
I’m sorry but why do you think he could develop Richardson if he hasn’t been able to develop McCarthy.
I came here to say the exact same thing.
Because McCarthy and Richardson are two different people? It’s usually on the player, not the coach.
The 49ers couldn’t develop Trey Lance but they developed Brock Purdy. The Vikings helped Sam Darnold improve but can’t develop JJ.
I think AR is a bust too, but just because JJ sucks doesn’t mean KOC can’t develop someone else.
Can’t develop JJ? It’s been 10 games and he’s flashed some brilliance at times.
I mean sure it’s early, he could improve. But he was the worst starting QB in the NFC last year by a pretty wide margin, except for Brosmer of course. It’s pretty rare for someone to be that bad and then develop into something useful, especially with all the advantages JJ has had developing in elite programs since 9th grade.
And he’s already been hurt like 4 times.
MB81, what’s your definition of brilliance?
Offensive player of the week not enough?
Who’s gonna trade for him?
Richardson would be perfect as a backup/goal line QB and a running specialist as long as a team has a good veteran starter. Pairing him with McCarthy will just have KOC looking for a new job next off-season.
Running specialist? He literally gets hurt every hit. He only looks physically imposing.
His injuries are less of an issue as a backup. He’s literally the best or 2nd best rated running QB every year he’s played. If he’s having 3 carries a game at the goal line, he’s not getting hit every play like he does as the starter.
And if he does get hurt, oh well. He’s just a gadget/backup in this scenario. He doesn’t need to be protected like a franchise QB.
Would I be the only one here to be surprised if the Colts get anything as strong as a fourth round pick for him?
I think that’s probably a good guess, maybe with a late swap going out too. AR and a 7th for a 4th or something. Sam Howell got traded essentially for a 5th round pick twice last year, and he’s never been good and was a mid round pick. I would think AR’s value is at least at the Sam Howell level, even with his poor play so far.
They won’t even get that. For a project with a high likelihood of uselessness, his pay of $5.38m in 2026 is not terribly appealing.
At this point just acquire him to become a RB, might actually get some value
Gonna go out on a limb and say the 6’4 guy whose career has been derailed by not avoiding contact would not be a good running back.
He gets hurt anytime he has contact…no rb or te or Taysom Hill packages.
Richardson is not a McVay/Shanahan/O’Connell type of QB. They want someone accurate who processes quickly and plays on time. That is the opposite of what AR brings to the table. They don’t need a rocket arm and/or elite athleticism.
I can’t see much teams biting trade wise. As a release and sign piece? Maybe jets Vikings or cardinals take a flier
Best fit for him is the Packers. They’re one of the few teams that actually sticks to their guns when they decide actually *develop* a QB. Richardson could sit behind Love for a handful of years while the coaching staff tries to grow Richardson into a solid starting QB. Then, if Love decides to move on down the road, they have Richardson in their back pocket. If Love re-ups with the Packers, they can see about trading Richardson… or keep him, but they’ll have that flexibility. If Richardson doesn’t pan out, no harm no foul. Packers are gonna need a backup now anyways with Malik heading out in free agency.
Yeah, good call. When Willis briefly saw the field for Tennessee, he looked even rawer than Richardson has.
Who would give two cents for Anthony “Bounce Pass” Richardson? The guy stunk up Ben Hill Griffin Stadium so bad they had to fumigate the place after he left. I might take a chance on him if he switched to wide receiver, but no way is he an NFL quarterback. All the defenders have to do is watch his eyes to see where he’s going to throw it because he will watch his primary receiver run his entire route. He has no accuracy when he does throw the ball, and it’s normally 5 yards short. Indianapolis really screwed up because there was plenty of tape on him and his expertise. He made everyone around him look bad because he seemed to have no idea what he was doing. He might make a passable wide out, but he’s never going to make a great QB