On ‘Up and Adams’ with host Kay Adams, at the 2026 NFL Annual League Meeting, Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard indicated that while ascending 4th-year quarterback Anthony Richardson is available for trade, ‘nothing has materialized at this point’:
In late February, it was reported that the Colts had granted Richardson and his representation
permission to seek a potential trade.
While there have been a number of rumored interested suitors, including the Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers, Los Angeles Rams, and Washington Commanders among them, it appears as none of those teams have offered anything meaningful enough to compel the Colts to trade Richardson at this point.
Richardson carries a $10.816M cap hit in 2026, but the Colts could save $5,385,549 if the former 4th overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft is traded this offseason.
Even though Richardson has been limited by a myriad of injuries and some naivety off-the-field, he’s still only 23-years-old and is an elite athlete at the quarterback position with speed, strength, athleticism, and a rocket arm. However, in addition to staying healthy, Richardson has to improve his passing accuracy and touch.
Given that re-signed starting quarterback Daniel Jones hasn’t exactly been an ‘iron man’ in his NFL career to-date, having been oft-injured formerly with the New York Giants and after suffering a fractured fibula and season-ending Achilles with the Colts late last year, and it’s not a bad idea for Indianapolis to have extra depth at the league’s most important position.
After suffering the Achilles injury in Week 14 of last year, while he and his camp remain optimistic, it’s not a guarantee that Jones will be fully recovered by next season’s regular season opener either.
2nd-year quarterback Riley Leonard has made just one career start, and while he was impressive in last year’s regular season finale against the Houston Texans and their stingy defense, that defense also rested key starters in the second half after finding out they couldn’t win the division anymore. To be fair, Richardson also looked pretty good as a rookie back in 2023 during his 4 starts before being lost to a season-ending throwing shoulder injury.
In the end, Ballard is probably trying to prop up Richardson’s trade value by not accepting nickels on the dollar just for the sake of trading him. That being said, it would be surprising if Richardson is on the roster come the beginning of next season. Both sides could use a change of scenery and a fresh start, with the Colts potentially preferring a more experienced and seasoned backup behind Jones and to also share the QB room with Leonard.
