The Indianapolis Colts aren’t pushing to trade quarterback Anthony Richardson.
The latest indicator that Richardson will remain a Colt regardless of whether he wins the backup QB job or not came from assistant general manager Ed Dodds on Sunday, who cited depth at the most important position.
"I think you take care of your own team first," Dodds said, via ESPN's Stephen Holder. "We want to have three [quarterbacks] that can play. So, if [Richardson] is one of them, he's going to be here. ... Look at last year. You never know."
A year ago, Richardson lost the starting job to Daniel Jones, who ran away with the gig. This training camp, the former No. 4 overall pick is battling Riley Leonard for the backup job behind Jones. Richardson requested a trade early this offseason. That request has been largely ignored.
Richardson started the preseason opener and, despite a couple of rocky moments, including a fumble, played well overall. The former first-rounder flashed a big arm and showed that when his first read is there, he can whip the pigskin. Richardson went 11-of-14 passing for 145 yards while rushing six times for 53 yards against the New England Patriots.
Entering preseason action, most reports out of camp indicated that Leonard had been the more consistent of the QBs, which could lead coach Shane Steichen to lean that way for the backup job. Richardson’s preseason performance the rest of the way could tip the scales in his favor.
The reality of Richardson’s situation is that if any other club offered significant value for the backup, the Colts would likely pounce. If he were going to be QB3 for the bulk of the year, they’d move him for less. However, thus far no other club has made a move for the talented but wildly inconsistent and repeatedly injured quarterback.
It makes sense for the Colts to hang onto Richardson barring a trade. As Dodds noted, Indy needed more than two QBs last year, and given Jones’ injury history, it could dip into the backup well again in 2026. Certainly, cutting the former first-rounder for nothing makes little logic for Indy.