Before the 2026 NFL season begins, one ESPN NFL analyst determined one last move that every team should make, including the Indianapolis Colts, and it’s not a surprising one.
Aaron Schatz believes the Colts’ final move prior to kickoff should be a trade involving quarterback Anthony Richardson. The young signal-caller was originally the fourth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, but Richardson no longer appears to fit with the Colts’ long-term plans following the emergence of Daniel Jones last year, resulting in him requesting a trade earlier this offseason.
However, no such deal has come to fruition, and Richardson remains with the Colts, competing with Riley Leonard for the backup quarterback role currently.
That said, still just 24 years old, Schatz believes that the Colts should still be looking to trade Richardson, allowing him to potentially catch on elsewhere.
“It’s clear that Richardson is no longer part of the Colts’ plans and that they are much more likely to make 2025 sixth-round pick Riley Leonard their backup to Daniel Jones,” Schatz wrote. “However, Richardson is still just 24 years old, and any team that wants to acquire him would have him in their system for a season and then have a chance to evaluate him internally before he becomes a free agent at the end of 2026. Despite a $4 million roster bonus coming his way in July, he could be intriguing if there’s another team with a veteran starter and room on the roster for a developmental quarterback.”
Richardson has recorded 2,400 passing yards and 11 touchdowns through the air across his first three seasons in Indianapolis. The quarterback missed the majority of 2025 after suffering an orbital bone fracture early in the Year. Richardson appeared in just two games in mop-up duty.
The quarterback is set to become a free agent at the end of 2026, but as far as we know, Richardson’s trade request remains on the table. As The Athletic’s James Boyd noted recently, there could be a “soft deadline” for getting a deal done early on in training camp.
Richardson’s talent is clear, but more consistency is needed. He could still prove to have success in the NFL should the Colts trade him, but for now, the former Florida star will remain with Indianapolis.
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: Trading Anthony Richardson listed as final offseason move Colts must make
