With NFL rosters being penciled in on Tuesday evening (with plenty of waiver wire transactions to come), the Indianapolis Colts and the rest of the NFL are not done selecting the 53-man rosters which they’ll take into Week 1.
Waivers will be a primary source of supplemental depth, but the trade market remains a possible acquisition avenue as well. With little time to go until their Sept. 7 opener, Indianapolis has been urged to find a trade partner for one of their former first-round picks.
Sports Illustrated’s Karl Rasmussen outlined five players around the league who could be last-minute trade candidates, and quarterback Anthony Richardson Sr. is among them.
Rasmussen says that the time to move on is now, as it’s best for both sides.
“The Colts elected to roll with Daniel Jones over Anthony Richardson, who they selected with the No. 4 pick just three years ago,” he wrote. “If that's not a show of their lack of faith in Richardson, I'm not sure what is.
“If Richardson intends to continue his NFL career and get back to being a starter for a franchise that believes in him, his best bet may be to try to find a move away from Indy. His potential remains sky high, but largely untapped, and there may be some quarterback guru out there who still thinks they can unlock his upside.”
Even though the relationship between Richardson and the Colts appears to be broken, or at least fragile, Indy’s management has been adamant that they’re not giving up on the uber-talented passer. So there’s plenty of reason to believe that the Colts have no interest in a trade.
Additionally, trades take two sides. While there are a handful of teams where the situation is right for Richardson to continue his career, there’s no way to tell if those teams are interested in the 23-year-old.
Considering how much Indy invested in Richardson (and their possible delirious belief in his potential), they’re likely to want a decent amount in return as well, a price their trade partners would be reluctant to agree with.
While trading Richardson is intriguing and enticing, the odds he’s moved prior to the beginning of the season feel low.