Russell Wilson, Kirk Cousins, Anthony Richardson Reportedly Not Drawing Trade Interest

Despite a recent string of high-profile quarterbacks suffering injuries across the NFL, there's not exactly a rush from teams to fill the void with potential trade candidates right now.

Per CBS Sports' Jonathan Jones, the trio of Russell Wilson, Kirk Cousins and Anthony Richardson "have not garnered interest" from opposing teams around the league at this point.

If you include Thursday's game between the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams that Brock Purdy didn't play due to a toe injury, there are four regular starting quarterbacks who will be out of action in Week 5.

The others are Joe Burrow, who was injured in Week 2, Lamar Jackson due to a hamstring injury and J.J. McCarthy due to a high ankle sprain. A total of 40 different quarterbacks will have started at least one game by the end of Week 5.

Of the three quarterbacks Jones cited, Wilson would seem to be the most-likely trade candidate. He lost his starting job with the New York Giants after just three games and is only making $2 million in base salary.

The Giants also have another established veteran, Jameis Winston, on the roster that they could elevate to be their backup to Jaxson Dart if they were to move on from Wilson.

Richardson would be the most interesting trade candidate just given his age (23) and elite athletic traits that made him the No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft.

Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard said in August they were "not trading" Richardson, but that was before anyone knew head coach Shane Steichen was going to build the third-best offense with Daniel Jones at quarterback.

If the Colts believe this is a year to make a big push for the postseason, they could float Richardson as a trade candidate for a team that believes it can rebuild him in exchange for a player who could help elevate a position of need.

Cousins is tricky to move for multiple reasons. The biggest one likely being his contract, which includes a $27.5 million base salary this season and a full no-trade clause.

Jones noted teams around the league believe the Falcons would want an acquiring team to absorb most of Cousins' salary.

Another key issue is that Michael Penix Jr. hasn't exactly grabbed firm hold of the quarterback job in a way that suggests he's the long-term solution for the Falcons. He has thrown for 918 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions through four games.

Falcons head coach Raheem Morris benched Penix in a Week 3 loss to the Carolina Panthers after throwing two interceptions. Morris said after the game in no uncertain terms that Penix would remain the starter, but keeping Cousins as an insurance policy may not be a bad strategy for a team that's trying to compete for a playoff spot.

Another factor in all of this is teams don't usually trade for quarterbacks during the season unless it's just to add depth to their roster because it can be hard to develop chemistry with the offense and pass-catchers in such a short period of time.

Among recent examples, the two notable ones were Carson Palmer going to the Oakland Raiders in 2011 and Jimmy Garoppolo being traded to the 49ers in 2017.

The NFL trade deadline is exactly one month from today on Nov. 4, so plenty of things can change in the coming weeks. But the lack of activity on these specific quarterbacks at this point suggests there may not be a robust market for players at the position.