The Indianapolis Colts' 2026 roster is set, and the team will carry three quarterbacks. One of them will not be Easton Stick, but that was never going to happen. Indy was fine with Daniel Jones, Anthony Richardson, and Riley Leonard.
Maybe the hope was in releasing Stick, he would land on the practice squad after he was initially signed on June 1. He was fine in training camp, and even though he got a handful of starts with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2023, that was only because of injury.
Stick's release was just a numbers game, and the Colts already had too many quarterbacks. But the QB didn't need to wait long to find a new team. He joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers practice squad on Monday, and good for him.
Former Indianapolis Colts quarterback Easton Stick lands with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
He could have a better chance of seeing real reps in Tampa. Baker Mayfield is the starter, and a good one. If he gets hurt, though, his immediate backup is Jalon Daniels, who had a great training camp but went undrafted this year. Stick at least has more experience.
In other words, should something happen to Mayfield, Stick could be elevated to the active roster and potentially see reps if Daniels falters. Signing their former Indianapolis quarterback to the practice squad just made sense for the Buccaneers.
It also made sense for general manager Chris Ballard not to bring Stick back. The main question with Indy's quarterback group is whether Anthony Richardson will ever be traded. He is likely cemented as the team's QB2 after a better camp and preseason than Riley Leonard, but that isn't saying much. Leonard wasn't great.
Richardson still hasn't rescinded his trade request, and the Indianapolis Colts might have held onto him just long enough that if other teams' quarterbacks begin to get hurt in the regular season, another team might give Ballard a call to ask about Richardson's services. That would put Ballard in a better bargaining position.
Richardson is most likely gone next year anyway. The hope is that Daniel Jones is terrific after returning from a torn Achilles tendon suffered in Week 14 last year, and he remains the Colts' QB1 for the foreseeable future. He only re-signed for two years this past offseason, but he is just 29 years old and could have a lot of years left to play.
Richardson is a free agent next year, as the team didn't pick up his fifth-year option. One way or another (trade in 2026 or free agency in 2027), Richardson probably won't be in Indy. Riley Leonard is around for another three years at least, however.
Add us as a preferred source on Google