NFL insider surprised Colts shot down trade offers for Anthony Richardson at deadline

The NFL trade deadline has, of course, finally passed and as we've already noted, the Indianapolis Colts chose to do stand pat.

The deadline didn't come without any action for the Colts, though, that's for sure. After the past couple of weeks' quarterback drama, the Colts received some phone calls.

Head coach Shane Steichen made the decision to bench Anthony Richardson in favor of Joe Flacco, which immediately led to questions in regards to the young passer's future with the team. We've heard Steichen reiterate, since his decision, that this in no way impacts Richardson's future with the team and that Indy will continue to develop him because they believe he's a talented player.

Still, Indianapolis did receive phone calls on a Ricahrdson trade before the deadline passed, according to ESPN NFL insider Dan Graziano. In truth, this shouldn't necessarily surprise anyone. Teams field calls all the time, but many of them are not made public knowledge. It's just the nature of the business.

But, this one specific instance stood out to Graziano. Why?

Graziano said he "found it interesting" that the Colts and Panthers received calls on potential trades for both Richardson and Bryce Young. But he went on to note what he found even more interesting:

"I found it even more interesting that those teams were told 'no,'" he wrote.

The Colts made the right call keeping Anthony Richardson past the trade deadline

It seems odd that a well-respected insider such as Graziano appeared to be surprised at the fact that the Colts didn't trade Richardson, especially considering the current state of young quarterbacks in the NFL.

There have been multiple examples of why teams should refuse to give up on young quarterbacks too soon. Sure, there are examples on the contrary as well. It's a delicate process to navigate. But, quarterbacks like Sam Darnold, Baker Mayfield and even Justin Fields, to an extent, have proven their worth on new franchises.

The last thing the Colts need to do is to trade Richardson away and watch him flourish under the correct coaching staff and scheme.

We've established the fact that the Colts have some serious problems and many lie within Steichen himself, and not all on Richardson's shoulders. Should Steichen go on to lose his job in the near future, Chris Ballard would likely want the next head coach to work with Richardson and try to further develop him.

It would have made zero sense to trade Richardson after less than even a full season of starts in the pros. So, unless Graziano knows something we don't (such as a ridiculous trade offer that would be impossible to pass on), the idea of trading Richardson seemed silly all along.