Anthony Richardson requested a trade from the Indianapolis Colts early in the preseason, but nothing materialized. He is still in Indy, and according to general manager Chris Ballard, the quarterback won't be leaving anytime soon. Whether Richardson is the team's QB2 is a different question.
In Ballard's press conference ahead of the 2026 season, he said multiple times, "(Richardson) will be an Indianapolis Colt this year." He wouldn't say a trade might still happen, but his implication was that a trade could happen with nearly any player and wouldn't rule out that happening.
For now, though, the quarterback is staying. Ballard is quite happy about that situation, too.
Chris Ballard says Anthony Richardson is staying with the Indianapolis Colts
The GM added, "Really proud of his growth. There was a bit of a rough start against New England (in preseason Week 1)," but Ballard said the QB did better in the 2-minute drill near the end of the first half. That is both true and false, however.
Richardson and Indianapolis did score near the end of the half, but only because a pass that the quarterback threw that should have been intercepted wasn't. Had the starters been playing for the Patriots at that time, most likely a turnover would have occurred. Richardson also had a fumble earlier in the half, as well as an interception that wasn't his fault.
That said, he did play better as the preseason came to a close. He spent the first quarter of preseason Week 3 against the Detroit Lions with the starters, and he was sharp. Not nearly as good as QB1 Daniel Jones, of course, but Richardson performed well enough that if he were forced to enter a real game, he might be fine.
Ultimately, the team is likely to lose Anthony Richardson sooner or later. He very well could spend the entire season with the Indianapolis Colts, and if he never plays a down, that would be a good thing. Not because he might struggle, but because that would mean Jones stayed healthy. The team is going to succeed or fail by how well Jones plays, and Richardson is his backup.
Next year, Richardson is a free agent, and with seemingly no path to start for Indy, he likely would sign elsewhere, somewhere that he can play. Maybe head coach Shane Steichen has taught Richardson enough that if the QB were to leave, he'd be better elsewhere than he has been in Indianapolis.
As for Steichen, Ballard said the decision on who would be QB2 belongs with the head coach. The team hasn't officially said who will be Jones' immediate backup yet. Most likely, that player will be Richardson.
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