Quarterback Anthony Richardson is simply an extra player for the Indianapolis Colts heading into the 2026 season. Only one player can play his spot at a time, of course, so the wish is that Richardson is kept standing on the sidelines watching the action unfold, just like fans will.
Daniel Jones will be QB1 for Indy, and he appears on track to be back fully by Week 1. Meanwhile, Richardson is battling Riley Leonard for the team's QB2 duties. Leonard has three years left on his contract; Richardson has one and has requested to be traded. Leonard should be QB2.
But if the team traded Richardson, where might he go that would help the team? Maybe to the Arizona Cardinals, a team stuck being last in the NFC West for the foreseeable future and trying to rebuild. Richardson might help. Cardinals edge rusher Josh Sweat would help Indianapolis.
Indianapolis Colts should trade Anthony Richardson to the Arizona Cardinals for Josh Sweat
Some have speculated that the unhappy Sweat (he chose not to show up for voluntary workouts this offseason, even after getting paid in 2025 in free agency by Arizona) could be dealt. While he was productive last season, he is nearing 30 years old. Teams might not be willing to overspend to acquire him.
Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox speculates, based on Sweat's statistics and past moves involving similar players, that Arizona might only get a mid-round draft selection for Sweat in a deal. Knox, who doesn't likely have any inside information, mind you, could be way off the point, but let's assume he is correct. If so, Indy might work out a deal that resembles this:
- Indianapolis Colts receive: Edge rusher Josh Sweat
- Arizona Cardinals receive: Quarterback Anthony Richardson and a 2027 conditional fourth-round choice
Keeping the mid-round draft pick in play makes sense, even in a trade involving Richardson. No team is going to give much for a failed quarterback experiment who only has one year left on his rookie deal. The positive part for the other team is that if they don't deal for Richardson until three days after Colts training camp begins, the new team only has to pay the QB $1.1 million in 2026.
Still, having Richardson for one season only gives the new team a short amount of time to decide if they think he could potentially be an important player for them. He hasn't been good for the Indianapolis Colts, so he might not be good for anyone.
The Arizona Cardinals might at least offer a path for Richardson to play. The team currently has a three-deep QB room, but none of the players are currently considered long-term QB1s. Two of them are former Colts: Jacoby Brissett, the presumed starter in 2026, and Gardner Minshew. Carson Beck was drafted in the third round in 2026, but he's more of a project than a starter.
Arizona would probably need to drop one or two of those quarterbacks if they were to acquire Anthony Richardson, but one or two of those players could be released either way.
The Colts, however, need to find more edge rush help. Indianapolis has Laiatu Latu, and he should be good, and signed Arden Key, who is solid but not transformative. After them is a lot of hope, but potentially a lot of failure. Sweat would make the defense more dangerous.
He had 12 sacks in 2025 and 11 in 2022 with the Philadelphia Eagles. He's an excellent pass-rusher. If he can be dealt for, the Colts need to do so.
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