The Colts are allowing Richardson to seek out a trade, so he will have some agency on where he lands. Which teams could be a fit for him and provide him an opportunity to either start or give him the mentorship needed to help him hit his ceiling?
Minnesota Vikings: Starting Opportunity
The Vikings are the first team that should come to mind about Richardson trade destinations for good reason. Head Coach Kevin O’Connell’s love of Richardson and the Vikings reported willingness to trade multiple Round 1 picks to move up and get him at 3rd
Overall in 2023 have been known for years.
The Vikings might have gotten JJ McCarthy the next draft, but after his rookie year was lost to injury and his 2025 play was amongst the worst in the NFL and a major step down from now Super Bowl winning QB Sam Darnold… it’s clear the Vikings are willing to explore new options at QB.
Of the destinations, this one feels the most likely. The combination of prior (and possible still) high valuation of him to be willing to offer more draft capital than most teams, the still present need at QB, and Richardson’s camp likely seeing a winnable QB battle against McCarthy are all strong factors to make this reality. And getting to throw to Justin Jefferson certainly wouldn’t hurt the appeal of the Vikings landing spot.
Los Angeles Rams: Development Opportunity
If Richardson opts to go to a place to develop rather than look for an immediate starting spot, the LA Rams would be a top choice. Matthew Stafford has carved out a Hall of Fame caliber career over 17 years and is one of the smartest QBs in the league. Sean McVay is the wunderkind Head Coach that has sparked one of the most expansive modern coaching trees in the NFL. And the Rams have weapons with Puka Nacua and Davante Adams along with a legion of Tight Ends to throw to.
The Rams have 2 Round 1 draft picks and could potentially use one on Ty Simpson to create a succession plan for Stafford. But if they opt to instead use their top picks to try to maximize their current window with Stafford and still want to have a succession plan with significant upside without high pick or financial investment, getting Richardson on the last year of his rookie deal and providing him a concrete and sound development plan would be a fun fit for both parties.
Miami Dolphins: Starting Opportunity
With the Dolphins openly shopping Tua, having a new coach and GM imported from Green Bay with no loyalties to the roster or their incumbent QB, and not having a top 10 pick (11th) and this being a weaker QB draft class to find a cheap young QB option while still paying Tua’s guarantees post-trade and not having much available cap space… a trade for Richardson makes sense for the Dolphins.
Richardson would also have the opportunity to play closer to his Florida home and have all of his support network with him during the season to lean on, has an opportunity to beat incumbent backup Quinn Ewers for the starting job after he didn’t impress in spot starts as a rookie under the prior regime. The Dolphins might not have Tyreek Hill anymore, but they still have Jaylen Waddle to step into the WR1 role and Devon Achane to hand the ball off to/catch short passes.
Washington Commanders: Development Opportunity with spot Starting potential
Jayden Daniels has some similarity to Anthony Richardson in terms of their athletic gifts and the Commanders under Kliff Kingsbury have opted to lean on those special mobility and arm strength blend for their offensive identity. While Kingsbury left this offseason, the Commanders opted to promote his disciple former QB David Blough to OC; possibly hinting at a similar offense continuing with this continuity.
Jaden Daniels has also experienced his own gauntlet of injuries in his young career and is currently rehabbing from an elbow injury that was reaggravated in Week 14, thus ending his 2nd season. If the Commanders want a backup QB to run a similar offense as Daniels, then Richardson makes a lot of sense.
For Richardson, the ability to go to a place that already has a system in place that maximized a similar QB’s skills for a quick start to the NFL as a rookie is appealing. Terry McLaurin is a sensational deep threat for Richardson to pair with and the Commanders have one of the most heavily invested Offensive Lines in the NFL with Tunsil, Cosmi, Biadasz, Allegretti, Conerly Jr. all getting well paid or drafted highly.
All this makes the 2024 NFC Runner Up Commanders a nice landing spot for Richardson and a viable option for the Commanders to pursue.
Cleveland Browns: Starting Opportunity
The Browns might have gotten a “Pro Bowl” out of rookie Shedeur Sanders as a rookie, but there are doubts surrounding his ability to become a franchise QB after a 7 to 10 TD:INT ratio as a rookie. The Browns also desperately need an affordable QB option as they still deal with the egregious DeShaun Watson contract, lack much free cap space, and have some high priority players to retain with what little resources they have.
Richardson might see the appeal of going to a team like the Browns where their defense is a highly esteemed unit where he won’t have to score much to win games and his current competition is underwhelming for the starting job. But the Browns history of QB ineptitude, their entire Offensive Line hitting Free Agency, and only Jerry Jeudy and Harold Fannin Jr as established weapons under contract makes it not the best landing spot for him to succeed at.
Baltimore Ravens: Development Opportunity with spot Starting potential
The Ravens are a bit like the Commanders with a mobile QB that has had success in the NFL but dealt with injuries; but they have a longer history of development of QBs and maximizing a dual threat QB’s abilities in Lamar Jackson’s tenure. Unlike the Commanders landing spot, Jackson isn’t actively injured at this point so there isn’t a chance of starting Week 1 barring another injury to the 2x MVP Quarterback. Jackson is arguably the best dual threat QB for Richardson to try to model the evolution of his game after; so the opportunity to learn from him and the strong Ravens organization should be appealing.
The Ravens have some fun weapons with the opportunity to hand the ball off to Derrick Henry plus throw to Zay Flowers and Mark Andrews (and if they retain them Isaiah Likely/Charlie Kolar). Their Offensive line has some needs on the interior but the Tackle play is strong and they could retain Linderbaum as a premier Center to help with protection calls. The Ravens like the Rams provide a great opportunity for success if Richardson gets some meaningful snaps with loaded offense.
Arizona Cardinals: Starting Opportunity
Like the Dolphins, the Cardinals are trying to trade their incumbent Quarterback with a premium contract on the books, likely necessitating a cheap QB to replace him (unless they want to take Ty Simpson early in Round 1 or 2). Richardson again makes sense.
For Richardson, the Cardinals have Marvin Harrison Jr & Trey McBride to provide a bigger target with Yards after Catch ability plus James Conner to handoff too; giving Richardson a group of fun skill position players to throw to.
Los Angeles Chargers: Development Opportunity with spot Starting potential
Justin Herbert is another franchise QB who has struggled with staying healthy and backup Trey Lance is a Free Agent. If the Chargers want another high athleticism backup with a crazy arm, Richardson makes sense to add.
The Chargers are a great landing spot as well with a strong group of pass catchers at WR (Quentin Johnston & Ladd McConkey) and at TE (Oronde Gadsden, Will Dissley, Tyler Conklin) and a fun trio of RBs (Omarion Hampton, Najee Harris, Kimani Vidal). The Offensive Line struggled mightily in 2025, but that was due to major injuries to some strong Offensive Linemen and their depth. If healthy this is a top unit that can protect a QB. Cherry on top is Jim Harbaugh at Head Coach who is a proven QB developer.
Kansas City Chiefs: Starting Opportunity/Development Opportunity (depending on Mahomes’ recovery)
The Chiefs could be an excellent landing spot for Richardson. Andy Reid has been one of the best offensive minds in the league for decades, they have invested a lot in their OL and WR rooms, and have been an Offensive juggernaut for most years with Reid & Mahomes.
The question is when Mahomes himself returns from his ACL & LCL injuries. Depending on the answer, Richardson could have a Week 1 starting opportunity and the Chiefs could be motivated to try to find a backup QB for Mahomes/interim starting QB. Their incumbent backup Gardner Minshew is also a Free Agent, adding to the need’s urgency.
So why not swing for the fences with Richardson? If Andy Reid helps him flash his talent more you can try to keep him for another year and try to flip him for even better draft picks than it took to get him. If Richardson struggles or gets injured himself, the Chiefs can bottom out and add premium talent in the 2027 Draft to add to the roster for Mahomes’ return.
