There is rampant speculation about what the Indianapolis Colts could do at the quarterback position for the 2025 NFL season. With the No. 14-overall pick, the team could select a signal caller with that first rounder. They could also use a lower pick on a quarterback in a draft that isn’t top heavy at the position. Or, they could go into the season with Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones battling it out for the starting job, but not many would recommend doing that if you care about, you know, winning football games.
But, what hasn’t been discussed very much – if at all – is the possibility that they could trade Richardson during the draft. He was the fourth-overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and some team could see some upside in making a move for the former University of Florida quarterback.
While the Colts would get anything but a haul in return, they may want to wash their hands of him. And, there’s actually odds on it. According to Kyle Odegard of Great Offshore Sports Books, the odds say it’s a distinct possibility.
First Veteran Traded During Draft
Jaire Alexander +400
Mark Andrews +500
Trey Hendrickson +500
Jalen Ramsey +600
Kirk Cousins +800
Anthony Richardson +1000
Dallas Goedert +1200
Will Levis +1200
D’Andre Swift +1600
Kayvon Thibodeaux +2000
Breece Hall +2000
Tyreek Hill +3000
Micah Parsons +5000
You can literally bet on anything these days. It’s not recommended, but it’s an available option.
Richardson’s health is a concern
Jay Canale of Yahoo! Sports correctly points out that Richardson’s health makes a potential trade dicey. This is especially true since he suffered a major, season-ending injury to his throwing shoulder in 2023. Shoulder injuries – as one would expect – are bad for a quarterback.
Canale writes:
Unfortunately, the discussion surrounding Richardson’s health can be interpreted in two different ways. Early in his rookie season, Richardson experienced an injury to his throwing shoulder that ended his season. This past season, Richardson had two more injuries that caused him to miss games. Overall, Richardson has played in 19 of 34 possible games in his career.
Richardson’s inability to stay healthy throughout both his collegiate and NFL career is extremely concerning, and that doesn’t factor in some of the processing and accuracy issues Richardson has had even while healthy. The combination of these factors may have Colts brass wondering if it would be better to collect whatever capital they can get for Richardson and see if they can revive the career of their recent free-agency acquisition, Daniel Jones. The Minnesota Vikings’ success in the same pursuit with Sam Darnold this past year may give them more security in such a decision.
There isn’t much financial incentive for the Colts to trade Richardson, however, as he is only entering the third year of his rookie contract. Richardson is taking up $9.3 million in cap space in 2025 and $10.8 million in 2026, meaning his burden on the team’s financial flexibility is relatively insignificant.
Does Richardson deserve more time in Indy?
It’s tough for a team to cut bait on a quarterback they drafted with a high pick just two seasons ago. Although, after 2010 when the insane rookie quarterback contracts became much more manageable, it’s easier not to get stuck with a Jamarcus Russell because you gave him $31.5 million at signing. Richardson got $21.7 million guaranteed and that was 16 years after Russell. So, while the Colts have invested resources in Richardson, they aren’t tied to him because of Sam Bradford-style guarantees ($50 million signing bonus).
Canale writes that when Richardson isn’t stinking up the joint, he’s actually made some incredible highlight plays. That might be enough for the Colts to hold on for another year.
Though Richardson has displayed concerning accuracy issues and struggles with seeing the field throughout his career, the games where he puts it all together are a thing of beauty.
One example of this is his performance against the New York Jets in Week 11 of the 2024 season, where Richardson threw for 272 yards and a touchdown and tacked on another two scores on the ground. This was Richardson’s first game back as a starter for the Colts after being injured, and he used his reentry to the lineup to show why the Colts should keep him under center.
Though Richardson still struggled at times to make the right decision, this throw to Alec Pierce was just one example of the high-level arm talent that led to the Colts selecting Richardson with the fourth overall pick.
All of these things are true. On one hand, Richardson has made some plays that only a small handful of other quarterbacks in the NFL are capable of making. But, he also had a 44.7% completion percentage last year to go with 8 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. There is a dichotomy there for sure.
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