Colts' Chris Ballard Makes Stance Clear on Anthony Richardson Trade

During his annual press conference on Wednesday, Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard made his thoughts clear on a trade revolving around Anthony Richardson.

"We're not trading him," Ballard said.

After the recent news of Richardson being named the Colts' newest QB2 to back up Daniel Jones, the speculation has inevitably crept in from the outside of whether Indianapolis would ever entertain a move on their 2023 fourth-overall pick.

Richardson's been benched by the coaching staff two times in the past year, has endured his respective ups and downs throughout his first two seasons at the helm, and now goes into his third year pro without a clearly drawn-out future with the franchise. Perhaps if an opposing team were hypothetically interested in his services, the Colts could claim some value in a deal while opting to roll with Jones under center for the year ahead.

Instead, Ballard has set the narrative straight before Week 1 kicks off. Not only have no teams seemingly called about a move, according to the Colts' general manager, but any trade to ship him out of Indianapolis won't be in play from their side either.

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The plan from the Colts brass revolving around this quarterback group is rather to lend Jones the starting gig from Week 1 vs. the Miami Dolphins onward, without a short leash attached to get a full scope of what he could bring to this offense. Richardson'll be on the sidelines come Sundays as the backup, continuing to make the most of his practice reps throughout the week as he awaits his next opportunity.

For Ballard, it's an experience ahead for Richardson that comes with a ton of value: developing as an NFL quarterback without the lofty expectations of being the starter.

"There's a lot of value in sitting behind a guy that's a professional, and watching, and learning, and growing, and working on the things you need to work out without the pressure of being a starter. There is. There's a lot of good to that."

Indianapolis Colts quarterbacks Anthony Richardson Sr. (5), Daniel Jones (17) and Riley Leonard (15) prepare for drills Monday, July 28, 2025, during training camp held at Grand Park in Westfield. | Mykal McEldowney/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Therefore, it seems as if with the current plan in place, Ballard will be holding onto his cards in the quarterback room until further notice.

Richardson's rookie contract is on board for at least this season and next, with a decision yet to be made on his fifth-year option at just over $13 million that'll come this offseason. Maybe then, the conversation of a trade can surface once again. But in the meantime, don't expect the Colts to make any sudden moves on either of the top two names in the signal-caller room.

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