Colts Trading Richardson to Packers Touted as What We Need to See

While free agency has kept the Indianapolis Colts plenty busy, the inevitable trade of Anthony Richardson Sr. still lies in the wake of all news happening in the Circle City.

Indianapolis permitted Richardson to seek a trade on February 26th, which came as a surprise to absolutely nobody.

The Colts and quarterback Anthony Richardson have mutually agreed to explore a trade, agent @djackson_legacy told ESPN.

The former No. 4 overall pick is officially looking for a new home. pic.twitter.com/xkzAuvxDGk
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) February 26, 2026

While there are definitely suitors in the NFL sphere that would make sense for Richardson to land, the Green Bay Packers emerged as an unlikely candidate after the news broke from ESPN''s Stephen Holder.

After the departure of Packers backup QB Malik Willis to the Miami Dolphins, it leaves Green Bay with Desmond Ridder and Kyle McCord. Neither of these signal-callers has much of a ceiling, and both have become journeyman-level backups.

In short, this is a perfect spot for Richardson to land.

Sports Illustrated's Mike Kadlick agrees, listing the Richardson-Packers trade as one of six he wants to see go down. Here's what Kadlick had to say on the matter.

"Green Bay was in possession of one of the league’s top backups in Malik Willis over the last two seasons before he signed a three-year deal with the Dolphins last week. Perhaps Richardson can be their next reclamation project behind Jordan Love."

Green Bay has been linked to Colts QB Anthony Richardson 👀

(Via @espn) pic.twitter.com/BBA8FX2EjR
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) March 14, 2026

I won't bore the reader with the incredibly toxic relationship between Richardson and the Colts, and how it ended up with a trade request being granted.

Instead, I'll highlight how this new chapter in Richardson's career could be exactly what the insanely talented quarterback needs to find his footing in the NFL.

Richardson wasn't ready to enter the NFL when he did, and the Colts grossly overestimated their ability to develop him.

After three brutal seasons that were filled with inconsistencies, injuries, and awful drama, the Packers could reset this for Richardson.

Instead of having pressure on him to go out and perform while learning and developing, Richardson would get a golden opportunity to learn and soak up knowledge from a great QB like Jordan Love.

Honestly, this should have been the exact approach from the Colts when they signed Gardner Minshew as Richardson's backup. Instead, the then 21-year-old with 13 college starts was expected to learn on the fly.

Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (blue and white uniform) runs away from a defender in pursuit. — Green Bay Packers linebacker Isaiah Simmons (28) dives to tackle Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson Sr. (5) on Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, during a game against the Green Bay Packers at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. | Michelle Pemberton/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Luckily for Richardson, he'll be a youthful 24 by the time the preseason starts, meaning he has plenty of time to take a brand new approach to becoming a legitimate NFL quarterback.

Due to such a lack of experience on the NFL gridiron, Richardson still needs to develop properly, and sitting behind Love with a head coach like Matt LaFleur makes beautiful sense for the former Florida Gators field general.

Green Bay is a successful team that has made the postseason in the last two seasons. As for learning behind Love, the former Utah State product has played efficiently, which gives Richardson a great mentor to gain knowledge from.

It's not a lock that Green Bay will execute the trade, but seeing as how they've already been involved in that regard with the Colts after trading Colby Wooden for Zaire Franklin, it makes more sense than other teams.

Richardson's time with the Colts will go down as one of the saddest for a young quarterback in recent memory. While both sides are to blame for the awful marriage, Indianapolis has coaches, experience, and an offensive mind like Shane Steichen.

Without question, they have to shoulder more of the blame than the young Richardson.

If Green Bay gets their hands on Richardson, it could help turn him into what Indianapolis couldn't: a franchise quarterback.

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