Pat McAfee Gives Blunt Assessment of Anthony Richardson Situation With Colts

The ESPN personality thinks the QB requesting a trade would be a good idea.

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) passes to Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs (1) on Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, during a game against the Tennessee Titans at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. / Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It's that magical time of year where NFL quarterbacks are finding new teams and people are filling the time between those big announcements by speculating about the next names and dominos to fall. With Daniel Jones agreeing to join the Indianapolis Colts, there are new questions about Anthony Richardson, the franchise's young quarterback who has faced a steep learning curve.

Tom Pelissero reports that Richardson, who was benched last season, has no intention to seek a trade. Pat McAfee discussed the idea of one materializing on his show on Tuesday, offering a bit of a bleak summation of the situation.

Former #Colts Pat McAfee and Darius Butler discussing the Daniel Jones signing and what it means for Anthony Richardson.

Butler: “Colts nation is torn on Anthony Richards-“

McAfee: “The more they learn about him though they probably wouldn’t be torn if I had to guess.” pic.twitter.com/FMIxz7JGKK

— Noah Compton (@nerlens_) March 11, 2025

“He should! Yeah, absolutely. Fresh start! New building! Massive upside,” McAfee said of a potential trade request. “I think if you’re one of the other 31 teams, remember what you thought about Anthony Richardson. A lot of upside. Guy’s got a ton of potential… maybe he does ask for a trade. Maybe a fresh new start somewhere else is what Anthony Richardson needs.

"If that's the case, if he does look to go somewhere else, we will appreciate the hell out of his time in this city. And we will be thankful that we were able to be like grade school for him to learn how to play football and be a football player and be a professional and everything like that. I think he would have massive success somewhere else."

McAfee's co-host Darius Butler then interjected that the Colts fanbase is torn on Richardson.

"The more they learn about him though they probably wouldn’t be torn if I had to guess," McAfee replied.

The former Colts punter has been transparent on how he feels about the franchise, authoring one of the better rants of the NFL season amid Indianapolis' struggles.

Colts nation, if indeed split on Richardson, now faces an odd situation where it's tough to know what to root for. Daniel Jones beating out Richardson for the starting job would reveal once and for all how bad of a first-round pick they made a few years ago. Richardson besting Jones would also provide no guarantee that things will be different in 2025—and potentially worse as McAfee suggests.

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