The Indianapolis Colts were not extremely active at the 2025 trade deadline, but they didn't need to be. The team made one massively impactful move, and might have changed the course of the season with it. Indy was good before, but it might be great after it.
As most Colts fans know by now, their favorite team acquired New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner in exchange for two first-round draft picks. The move better work, or Indy's next couple of drafts are going to be hamstrung. At least, the team was going to choose late in the round in 2026 anyway.
Indianapolis also sent wide receiver Adonai Mitchell as part of the deal. A change of scenery might work great for Mitchell, who has been in head coach Shane Steichen's doghouse since he made two critical errors in a Week 4 loss. But it was one player that Indy didn't move that should feel pretty good about things.
Indianapolis Colts decide to keep quarterback Anthony Richardson
Quarterback Anthony Richardson was taken fourth overall in the 2023 NFL draft. His career so far has not been what he would have hoped. He has often been injured and ineffective when he did play, and he was benched in favor of Daniel Jones ahead of this season.
The way Jones has played, Richardson isn't getting his job back any time soon, but Indianapolis must still have some confidence in the 23-year-old because he is still on the roster. Assuming Jones continues to play as well as he has for most of the first half of the season, Richardson will sit and watch for at least another year.
Keeping the third-year quarterback on the bench does him no favors. He will only get better by playing, but he isn't going to get meaningful reps. Perhaps his presence implies that the Indianapolis Colts are not completely sure they can re-sign Daniel Jones, and Richardson is an insurance policy.
But Indy has to re-sign Jones at this point. He's been too good, and Richardson has been too bad when he has played for general manager Chris Ballard to take another chance on AR5.
Still, if the Colts were thinking of moving Anthony Richardson at the trade deadline, some team likely would have taken him. He has a great arm and is a fantastic runner. But that Richardson remains in Indy means the Colts still want him around, and that is a great thing.