The Indianapolis Colts made the shocking decision to name Daniel Jones their starting quarterback over 2023 first-round pick Anthony Richardson. In doing so, head coach Shane Steichen also made it known that Jones won’t have a short leash and will be the starter for the season.
This puts Richardson’s future up in the air, as it is largely expected the Florida product will be traded. Vinnie Iyer of The Sporting News named the Steelers as the top destination for Richardson.
“The Steelers know they’ll
be getting only one season of starting from Aaron Rodgers,” Iyer writes. “Between Texas’ Arch Manning (maybe), Clemson’s Cade Klubnik, LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier and others, the 2026 QB draft class lines up to be a strong replacement route. But they might want to take a flyer on Richardson, given his combination of athleticism and arm strength can fit well and develop in Arthur Smith’s offense. With a deep threat such as DK Metcalf in the mix and a strong reemphasis on the power running game, Richardson has a potentially good environment in which to rebound.”
The Steelers trading for Richardson would be somewhat surprising, considering they appear to be gearing up to take a quarterback in the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh. And while the 23-year-old only has 15 games under his belt and is a physical specimen, he completed just 47.7 percent of his passes in 2024.
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