This one's been a slow burn all offseason. Richardson requested a trade in February after losing the starting job to Daniel Jones, and the Colts actually gave him permission to see if another team would bite. Nobody did. Now he's back in camp, and according to Adam Schefter, the smoke has cleared enough to see where this is headed.
The future of Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson Sr. remains unclear, but signs continue to point to him remaining with his current team, via @HolderStephen. More: https://t.co/Ma38JRosTj
SleeperNFL picked up the same reporting from Stephen Holder, hammering home that the signs are pointing toward Richardson staying put in Indy this season.
The backstory here is a wild fall from grace. Richardson was the No. 4 overall pick in 2023, the kind of size-speed-arm unicorn teams dream about. But Daniel Jones came to Indianapolis, won the starting job outright, and led the Colts to an 8-5 record before tearing his Achilles. That injury reopened the door for Richardson, and he didn't walk through it — instead he asked out.
Nothing has come easy since. Colts GM Chris Ballard has publicly said he sees Jones, who's reportedly fully recovered from the Achilles tear, as the long-term answer at QB1. That leaves Richardson fighting Riley Leonard just to be the backup, a stunning reversal for a guy who was supposed to be the franchise's future three years ago.
So why is Richardson still a Colt if he wanted out? Simple: no trade materialized, and by his own account he got tired of waiting around. He's said he hasn't recently talked to his agent or Ballard about the request, and instead just showed up to work. Whether that's pride, pragmatism, or both, it's the reason Schefter's report tracks — nobody's calling with an offer, and Richardson isn't walking away from paychecks and reps.
The roster math backs it up too. With cuts looming on August 30, Indianapolis may just keep all 3 quarterbacks — Jones, Leonard and Richardson — rather than force a move nobody's offering value for. It's not the outcome anyone drew up when Richardson was drafted 4th overall, but for now it looks like he's Indy's problem to solve, not somebody else's.