The Indianapolis Colts have given quarterback Anthony Richardson permission to try to work out a trade with another team. Richardson has raw ability that other teams might like, but ultimately, the whole situation is great news for Riley Leonard.
Two things are clear from the Richardson news. One is that Indy obviously has given up on him. He was beaten out for QB1 duties last year by free agent acquisition Daniel Jones, and the hope was that Jones could be re-signed, so Richardson had zero path to ever starting for the team again.
The other bit is that after spending most of this season seemingly not trusting Leonard to do anything, he proved the team wrong in Week 18 when he was very good (and productive) against a great Houston Texans defense. He showed everyone that he deserved to be in the NFL, and was accurate with his passes and able to escape would-be tacklers on runs.
Indianapolis Colts giving up on Anthony Richardson speaks volumes about Riley Leonard
Week 18 was seemingly so impressive to general manager Chris Ballard and head coach Shane Steichen that Leonard was almost certainly going to be QB2 next season, assuming Jones is re-signed. Moreover, as Jones might not be ready at the start of 2026 after tearing his Achilles tendon in Week 14, the team would rather Leonard start than Richardson.
Whether AR5 will ever be a productive quarterback is in question. He hasn't been good when he has played, and he hasn't stayed healthy enough to play. Even while not playing in 2025, he had bad enough luck that he broke an orbital bone in Week 6 warmups and missed the rest of the season.
Meanwhile, Leonard kept performing decently in practice, though the team passed him over after Jones was injured for 44-year-old Philip Rivers, who had been retired for five years. What made the team look worse was when Leonard did so well against Houston that he implied he might have been the starter instead of Rivers.
With Riley Leonard, the Indianapolis Colts offense had no limitations as it did with Rivers. Leonard could throw the deep passes that Rivers couldn't, and he certainly ran better than Rivers ever could during his career.
Moving forward, Richardson, assuming he cannot find a trade partner, might simply be released. Leonard is moving up the depth chart either way, and he might get a chance to start at the beginning of 2026. By then, Anthony Richardson will likely be a distant memory for Colts fans.