The Indianapolis Colts suffered a devastating loss to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 4, as wide receiver Tutu Atwell broke off a game-winning 88-yard touchdown in the final minutes to bring both teams to a 3-1 record on the year.
Quarterback Daniel Jones finally fell back to Earth after a red-hot first three weeks, finishing with his worst — yet still respectable — stat line as a Colt. He still completed a high clip of passes but was completely shut out as a runner.
Jones threw two interceptions on the day, neither of which was acceptable. However, anyone who watched can deduce that he was far from the biggest issue for Indy. It was the mental errors and lapses on defense that ultimately cost the team a victory.
Could the Indianapolis Colts trade Anthony Richardson to an NFC power?
As such, Jones’ grip on the QB1 mantle has strengthened in the locker room and across the fan base. And it appears that backup Anthony Richardson is still stuck on the sidelines for the foreseeable future, barring injury.
But, according to a recent ESPN article, Richardson is now open to the idea of a trade. Not only that, but he even has an eye set on the destination. Look no further than the Colts’ most recent opponent, the Los Angeles Rams.
It’s head coach Sean McVay, in particular, who intrigues Richardson’s camp. Jeremy Fowler, a well-respected national NFL reporter, shared some interesting thoughts regarding a potential Richardson-Rams marriage.
When discussing the possibility of a quarterback getting traded before the NFL Trade Deadline, Fowler proposed an idea based on rumblings he’s heard in recent weeks. “One intriguing option is Anthony Richardson, who is stuck behind Daniel Jones in Indianapolis,” Fowler explained.
“My sense is that Richardson would be open to joining a premier play caller, such as Sean McVay, as a developmental player so he can reset for 2026.”
In that same mailbag article, fellow ESPN analyst Dan Graziano chimed in with his two cents, saying, “I remember a couple of teams wondering whether Indy would be open to moving him during free agency.
“So far, they’ve insisted they aren’t. [But] if Jones keeps playing well and leads them to their first division title in more than a decade, who’s to say the Colts don’t decide that he’s their future at quarterback?”
A Richardson-Rams trade would give the Colts an option to recoup assets for what has been a failed experiment at quarterback. Likewise, it would provide LA with a chance at landing its next franchise signal-caller for a minimal investment.
For the Colts, it’s beginning to feel like a lost cause with Richardson ever becoming QB1, especially with how well Daniel Jones is playing thus far — at only 28 years of age, to boot. A large part of the fan base has given up any hope of AR becoming the guy they thought he’d be.
As for the Rams, it likely wouldn’t cost more than a late Day 3 NFL Draft pick, if even that. Richardson’s value is as low as it’s ever been, so a late-round pick swap might even be the best Indy could hope for. At that price, the LA front office should at least kick the tires on a trade.
And as for Richardson himself, it’s hard to imagine a better outcome than learning under the tutelage of a brilliant offensive mind. Not even 40 yet, McVay already has a sparkling resume that any coach would love to have, including a Super Bowl LVI victory over the Cincinnati Bengals a few years back.
He’s a champion. He’s highly respected, by his players, staff, and organization — along with the national audience, as McVay is widely considered one of the best coaches of the 21st Century. On top of his success, he is also touted as a quarterback-friendly coach, with his scheme providing many easy reads and taking stress off his signal-callers.
That should all sound like music to the ears of a young quarterback still trying to find his footing in the league. And that doesn’t even account for current Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford and the role he could play in Richardson’s development. Two future Hall of Famers might be all AR needs to reach his potential.
To be clear, there is no set in stone trade request currently from Richardson or his agent. Even if an official request was made, there’s no reason to believe the Colts would ever share that with the league, as it could hamper trade talks.
It would take Richardson blatantly stating that he wants out of the organization to get any fire going in the media. Although it hasn’t happened to this point, few could blame AR for wanting to get a clean slate elsewhere — if that’s what he covets.
And even fewer would ridicule the Colts for giving up on Richardson. Sure, he’s 23 years old, but Shane Steichen and Co. have had multiple seasons to develop AR, and it has yet to happen. It’s unlikely that the flip is switched by season’s end.
At some point, both sides should call it a day and move on. At least for the Colts, they found a starting-caliber player at the game’s most important position. That would make any Richardson trade easier to stomach for Indianapolis.