Belief in Colts Trading Anthony Richardson Sr. Gaining Life

It's safe to say that the relationship between Anthony Richardson Sr. and the Indianapolis Colts has been a disaster since the 2023 NFL draft.

Outside of a promising four-game sample size from Richardson's rookie year, everything else has been a dumpster fire of epic proportions. Now, in 2026, it looks like there's no future for Richardson other than trading him off.

Pro Football Focus and Bradley Locker marked Richardson as one of 15 trade candidates for the 2026 season. For Richardson's entry, Locker gets quite honest about his situation in the Circle City.

"The Colts’ path to contention was rapidly dashed midseason, especially after Daniel Jones tore his Achilles in Week 14. Now, Indianapolis has several major questions ahead — including what to do with Richardson.

The Colts will likely want to secure at least some viable depth behind Jones coming off of a significant injury, which could convince them to retain Richardson.

But it also wouldn’t be surprising if teams take a swing on the 23-year-old, especially given his raw talent and the recent wave of first-round reclamation projects under center."

#Colts HC Shane Steichen, asked if he sees a role for QB Anthony Richardson Sr. on the team next season:

“The biggest thing is the eye limitations. That’s gotta get healthy, and those are conversations that will take place in the future.” pic.twitter.com/n32oxfRg43
— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) January 5, 2026

Even if Daniel Jones sustained a season-ending Achilles injury, the Colts likely saw enough positive play from the signal-caller to eventually give him a contract.

Also, given that the backup quarterback Riley Leonard played great in Week 18 against the Houston Texans, he's probably the QB2 moving forward.

This leaves Richardson on the outside looking in, as it's difficult to believe that Indianapolis will take on his fifth-year option to have him either sit as QB2 or slot behind Leonard as QB3.

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Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson Sr. (blue outfit) sits patiently on the sideline during a game. — Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) watches the action on the field from the sideline Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, during a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. | Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Richardson lost the quarterback competition with Jones during 2025's training camp, but the belief was if Jones sustained any injuries, Richardson would get an opportunity to step in and shine.

However, as has been the case with Richardson's short time in the NFL, he absorbed another injury. This time, it wasn't on the field, but rather, was a freak accident involving a resistance band that broke the orbital bone around his eye.

This limited his vision greatly and put him in a bind to get those valuable snaps. This prompted Indianapolis to turn to the formerly retired Philip Rivers to desperately right the ship.

This, of course, ended with three losses during the future Hall of Famer's time leading the offense.

When examining Richardson's time with Indianapolis, it's a sad story, to say the least. Not only did he only appear in 15 out of 34 games during his first two years, but he was brutally inefficient when on the field.

At this point, Indianapolis has to trade him to recoup something after investing a fourth-overall pick in him a few years ago.

Unless Richardson pulls a rabbit out of a hat and looks like a franchise quarterback while staving off persistent injury issues, his time with the Colts is done.

His situation will be one of the more interesting ones to watch during the 2026 offseason. But the writing is on the wall that he has almost no spot in the Colts' plans now.

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