The Indianapolis Colts chose not to trade Anthony Richardson this offseason.
Maybe they didn’t get good enough offers. Maybe they were just trigger-shy.
Either way, though, it means that the former No. 4 overall pick is on the Colts’ roster to start the year, including as the QB2 on Sunday in a blowout loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
There was never a competition this offseason. As long as Daniel Jones was healthy, he was going to retain his starting role.
But the Colts, by not dealing Richardson for a simple draft pick of some sort before he potentially becomes a free agent at the end of this season, have left open an interesting door.
Could Colts Bench Daniel Jones?
It’s getting ahead of everything to wonder if Jones could be benched at some point, but on Sunday, he looked a lot more like the Jones from his New York Giants days than the Jones from the hot start to last season.
It would probably take three or four or five more weeks of that for calls to start in earnest, but fans won’t quickly forget that Richardson is standing over there on the sideline.
And for all his flaws, Richardson retains elements of being quite tantalizing. He’s huge, and he’s got one of those arms that feels like it could throw the ball from one end zone to the other, and he runs well, and he doesn’t shy away from contact.
Yes, he’s dealt with injury problems. Yes, he’s inaccurate at times. But Richardson brings elements to a football game that very few QBs do, which is why the Colts drafted him in the first place.
There’s nothing inherent to suggest that Richardson would be a better starting quarterback for Indianapolis than Jones.
But if the Colts are afraid to find out, they’re going to need Jones to pick up his game in a hurry.
Is Anthony Richardson Getting Traded?
This is the other solution, a bit of an odd one but also one that would quiet things down if Jones continues to struggle.
If the Colts simply trade Richardson soon, before there can be any calls for a Jones benching, then there won’t be many calls to sit Jones for a guy like Riley Leonard.
It does seem like the Colts would eventually trade Richardson, if possible, if they don’t intend to keep him beyond this season.
But if they still want a look at his talent one more time to see if he’s worth a contract extension, then he has to play at some point.
Richardson isn’t being talked about much yet, but there’s definitely a path to this Colts season where he will be, and it’s worth being ready for — there’s a lot of intrigue but also uncertainty that surrounds what big No. 5 brings to the Colts.
Colts’ Anthony Richardson Decision Looms Large