NFL Insider on Anthony Richardson Trade: Won't 'Rule Out' Teams Calling Colts About QB

One NFL insider believes Anthony Richardson could draw trade interest despite his struggles with the Indianapolis Colts last season.

The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt wrote Tuesday he "wouldn't even rule out a team calling the Colts about trading for Richardson, though his trade value would be pretty low" given his draft pedigree.

As Rosenblatt put it, Colts general manager Chris Ballard is "on the hot seat" after Indianapolis missed the playoffs for the sixth time in his eight seasons with the organization.

One of the most heavily scrutinized decisions of Ballard's tenure has been the decision to select Richardson with the No. 4 pick of the 2023 draft.

Richardson was limited to just four games in 2023 before suffering the shoulder injury that ended his rookie season, then returned for another inconsistent and injury-limited campaign in 2024.

After making the controversial comment that he had asked to be subbed out of the Colts' Week 8 action because he was tired, Richardson was benched for two games.

Schultz reported shortly after Richardson's Week 9 benching that multiple teams had reached out to the Colts about a possible trade for Richardson.

"Several teams I spoke to still view Richardson as a franchise-caliber quarterback, and view Indy pulling the plug on him after 10 regular season starts as 'premature'," Schultz wrote on Nov. 3.

After Joe Flacco struggled, Richardson took over the starting role again in Week 11. He saw mixed results for five games, then was again sidelined by injury for the final two weeks of the season.

Ballard has already left open the possibility that Richardson won't be returning, at least as QB1, next spring.

The general manager told reporters last week the Colts planned to bring in another quarterback through the draft, free agency or trade market to compete with Richardson for the starting job in Indianapolis.

"I think that's good for the team, and I think it's good for Anthony... It's gotta be the right guy to create real competition. But we want to create real competition," Ballard said, per NFL.com's Eric Edholm.

Richardson is heading into his age-23 season and has yet to play a fully healthy campaign. Another team could potentially hope a change of scenery and better injury luck could help Richardson bounce back next fall.

Ballard's decision regarding Richardson could ultimately determine his future with the franchise. The general manager, who received a vote of confidence from owner Jim Irsay after the 2024 campaign, is currently signed through the 2026 season.