In Week 1 of the 2025 NFL Season, the Indianapolis Colts dominated the Miami Dolphins. Recently hired defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo's scheming had Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa seeing things that weren't there, many times throwing to spots where only blue uniforms were seen.
Tagovailoa has been a polarizing figure in the quarterback world, but after an offseason filled with question marks and the worst Week 1 performance of any quarterback in the league, it's safe to say that the Tua experiment should be over in Miami.
The problem with that idea is, however, that the Dolphins are run by two individuals who are fighting for their jobs, namely head coach Mike McDaniel and general manager Chris Grier. They already came into the season with targets on their backs, and after the Colts beat them so bad that the team was forced to call a players-only meeting after just one game, tensions are at an all-time high.
The time has never been riper for the Indianapolis Colts to profit from the Dolphins' desperation
As of late, the Colts themselves are no strangers to failed quarterback experiments. It seems like just yesterday that the young signal caller was made a Colt with the fourth overall pick in the 2023 draft, but with Daniel Jones' recent resurgence, Richardson's time in Indianapolis may already be at an end.
The Dolphins are run by two men in desperation mode, and desperate men make desperate decisions. McDaniel and Grier may make the choice to try and acquire Richardson's services in the hopes that they can bring out the full potential that the quarterback has failed to show so far.
Now, let's not hold any illusions. If the Colts were actively shopping AR5, then the price he'd go for would be pennies on the dollar. Here, the important distinction is that it would be the Dolphins trying to pry Richardson away. The Colts would have all of the leverage in this situation, and with leverage comes a premium price.
Obviously, Indianapolis wouldn't be getting back a selection in the first or second round in this scenario. They probably wouldn't even get a third. Still, from all indications, the Colts would prefer to keep Richardson on the team. Miami's leaders are scrambling to save their own jobs, and you can be sure they'd be willing to do whatever it takes to make sure they keep those jobs.
If the Dolphins were willing to give up a valuable pick to secure Richardson's services, even a fourth-rounder might be worth it. A third? Every day and twice on Sunday. Jones played amazingly in Week 1, and it doesn't hurt that third-stringer Riley Leonard looked pretty good on the field in the preseason
If the Colts were able to end the failed Anthony Richardson saga and get a valuable pick in the deal, they should take it. In fact, if such a deal were to happen, then the Colts' Week 1 victory against the Dolphins would only get sweeter. It would be nice to say you beat a team so bad that you forced them into giving you a draft pick out of desperation.
Will this trade happen? Time will tell, but most likely Miami will roll with Tagovailoa through the year. That gargantuan contract is not an easy one to shed. Still, there does exist a world in which Miami gets desperate, and that desperation might just turn out to work in Indianapolis' favor. For now, we can only speculate.