When Anthony Richardson Sr. asked the Indianapolis Colts for a trade in February, it looked like the start of a bidding war for a former No. 4 overall pick. Eight months later, the phone lines around the quarterback have been close to silent.
In ESPN’s Week 4 buzz column, Dan Graziano said that for all the noise about the trade request, the league never heard much about teams actually wanting Richardson. Jeremy Fowler went a step further, reporting that the Giants never called Indianapolis about his availability before sending a fifth-round pick to Minnesota for J.J. McCarthy.
Why the Colts aren’t selling yet
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Part of the quiet is on Indianapolis’ end. Fowler’s sense is that the Colts don’t want to trade Richardson right now, and general manager Chris Ballard set the tone in July, telling reporters, “We’re not just giving him away.” Richardson’s agent, Deiric Jackson, said in September that Ballard had made it “abundantly clear” his client is staying put. The team also made clear over the summer that it intended to carry Richardson, Daniel Jones and Riley Leonard on the roster through the regular season.
The other part is the résumé. Richardson has completed 177 of 350 passes for 2,400 yards, 11 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions in 17 career games. He attempted only two passes last season, and he is now Jones’ backup. Fowler noted that Richardson won the QB2 job even though neither he nor third-stringer Leonard had a particularly good camp. That is a tough sell for a team looking for immediate help at quarterback, especially with veterans like Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew II floated as possible trade targets.
The calendar could change the math. The Colts declined Richardson’s fifth-year option in April, so he is set to hit free agency after the season. Graziano wondered whether a team might eventually throw a late-round pick at Indianapolis for a chance to salvage Richardson’s talent, and whether the Colts would take less as his contract runs down.
Fowler added that Richardson would welcome a chance to learn behind the scenes in the McVay or Shanahan coaching trees, though that doesn’t feel feasible this season. The Nov. 10 trade deadline will show whether anyone is willing to make that bet.
