Recently, the Indianapolis Colts named Daniel Jones as their starting quarterback for the upcoming 2025 NFL season, making Anthony Richardson the backup. Many fans were upset by this, considering that Richardson would appear to have a much higher upside considering his youth and physical gifts, even if the team's play might drop off in the short term as he endures growing pains.
In the aftermath of the decision, some fans speculated whether the Colts might be willing to trade Richardson to another team willing to take a chance on a young and unproven quarterback.
However, there is reportedly no validity to that speculation.
“#Colts GM Chris Ballard says they're not trading QB Anthony Richardson,” reported James Boyd of The Athletic on X, formerly Twitter.
Boyd added that “Chris Ballard says he's had a lot of talks with Anthony Richardson's agent but not AR himself. He's spoken to him but he's allowing the coaches to talk more directly with AR.”
It's unclear at this point what the Colts' plan is with Anthony Richardson, as it's hard to envision him getting better waiting on the sidelines, and they certainly thought highly enough of him back in 2023 when they drafted him in the first round.
A strange situation for the Colts
The last time NFL fans saw Daniel Jones on the field was when his era with the New York Giants reached its inevitable conclusion, culminating in disastrous play during the 2024 season that ultimately led the team to release him.
This in some ways has swung the pendulum perhaps a bit too far in the anti-Jones direction, as he is still a serviceable quarterback who, when given time, can make some things happen in the pocket, and did lead an underdog Giants team to the NFL's divisional round back in 2022.
However, in terms of upside, the clear answer for the Colts would seem to be Richardson, who many think possesses the physical gifts to fall in line with the Josh Allen-Cam Newton prototype of quarterbacks.
Richardson has flashed some of this potential during his starts with the Colts so far, but he has also been arguably the most erratic quarterback in the league, constantly making disastrous decisions and overthrowing his receivers by a mile.
As the old saying goes, if you have two quarterbacks on your roster, you really have none.
