Recent Development Indicates QB Anthony Richardson Will Remain With Colts

The Indianapolis Colts had planned to move on from Anthony Richardson Sr. after agreeing to allow him to seek a trade ahead of the NFL Scouting Combine in February.

The fourth-year quarterback had seen his fair share of ups and downs during his three seasons in Indianapolis thus far, a rollercoaster of an experiment that has since resulted in a fellow 'failed' Top 10 drafted quarterback earning the starting job from him.

After sitting on the trade block for nearly two months with no suitors, Richardson's best chance of being dealt was during NFL Draft weekend.

As the Colts' brass took the podium for their annual pre-draft press conferences, which lined up with when the voluntary offseason workout program began, general manager Chris Ballard addressed the trade rumors and revealed that Richardson was away from the team while his future was being resolved.

"Anthony (Richardson Sr.) is not here. He's also requested a trade. He's down in Jacksonville training. I actually have talked to his trainer, who's – and I talk to him often and his agent, but he's in good spirits. Nothing has transpired at this point," Ballard explained.

"I don't know any question you're going to ask other than, will he be here? Well, he could be. We'll see. But as of right now, he's down there training in Jacksonville."

As the NFL Draft wrapped up one week later, Ballard said in his post-draft press conference that the market for Richardson mid-draft was virtually nonexistent. He was not surprised by this development (or lack thereof), not because Richardson doesn't deserve a market, but because that's just how it goes sometimes.

“Nothing surprises me anymore. And I just think it's – we have a little patience here and see what happens. I mean, I think I talked to a lot of y'all about it for a long time at the owners meetings about it. So, we'll just kind of let it play out as it does over time.”

Richardson's value is tricky to navigate, given both the state of his player profile and his injury history -- not to mention his climb back to normalcy as he rehabs an orbital bone injury he suffered last season. Richardson has since been medically cleared, but he's still not 100% healthy.

"I still think Anthony [Richardson] has real value in this league, and I've been happy with his growth," Ballard said of Richardson's value as a trade piece ahead of the NFL Draft. "He's an extremely talented young man."

However, after failing to be traded elsewhere following the NFL Draft, Anthony Richardson Sr. has reported for voluntary offseason workouts after being away from the team for the past two weeks, according to ESPN's Stephen Holder.

This is a massive development for Richardson and Co., who now set their sights on remaining in Indianapolis for the foreseeable future.

A trade can still happen before the season begins, but with the will he stay or will he go phase out of the picture for the time being, the former No. 4 overall pick of the 2023 draft can focus on righting his wrongs with the organization that took a big swing on him.

It's an unlikely scenario that he reclaims the throne from quarterback Daniel Jones, who signed a 2-year, $88M extension earlier this offseason to remain the Colts' signal-caller of the foreseeable future, but the previous expectation that saw Richardson continue his career anywhere besides Indianapolis has since been altered.

Richardson would have had a prime opportunity to fill the void after Daniel Jones suffered a season-ending Achilles tear, though his own season-ending injury both set him back in the short term and nearly confirmed his long-term future to be on another NFL roster.

Now, the fourth-year quarterback is back in the fold with another prime opportunity up for grabs.

The Indianapolis Colts were set to enter the next phase of offseason workouts with just two healthy quarterbacks, Riley Leonard and Seth Henigan -- both 2025 draft prospects.

With starter Daniel Jones sidelined until at least training camp, the opportunity for reps is there for the taking, something that Richardson Sr. desperately needs -- not only to reclaim a sense of normalcy moving forward, but to increase his personal stock in the meantime.

The Colts unsurprisingly declined Richardson's fifth-year option last week, an option that would've granted him an additional contract year and paid him a guaranteed $22.483M salary for the 2027-28 season.

It's difficult to see a world where the Colts keep Richardson for the final year of his rookie contract, as a $10.816M cap hit for a projected backup is no easy pill to swallow. However, the Colts may look to keep as many options for their quarterback room as possible, given that Daniel Jones' return to form or his health moving forward is by no means a guarantee.

Anthony Richardson Sr. still has an uphill battle awaiting him as far as any regular-season playing time goes, though at least his future has become clearer for the time being, even if that realization ultimately means he won't be provided the fresh start he wanted at the start of this offseason.

After presuming to have already seen his last days in a Colts uniform, there's now a non-zero chance that Richardson could end up not only staying in Indianapolis to finish out his rookie contract, but filling in for Daniel Jones at some point this season.

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