Colts don’t have to look far to find a blueprint for what their asking price should be for a potential Anthony Richardson trade
There is solid evidence that would suggest that the Colts could get more in a trade for Anthony Richardson than people realize.
All signs have pointed to Anthony Richardson and the Indianapolis Colts parting ways this offseason.
The team has made it clear they want Daniel Jones as their starter in 2026, and Richardson is entering the final year of his rookie contract. Finding him a new home where he can compete for the starter role next year is in the best interest of both sides at this point.
If the Colts do decide to trade the former first-round pick, the next question becomes what type of return they could get? I dove into two former first-round picks who were traded in recent years to see what they netted in return.
Anthony Richardson’s NFL career stats since being drafted by the Colts in 2023
- 2023 (4 games): 2-2 record as a starter, 577 passing yards, 3 passing touchdowns, 59.5 completion %, 1 interception, 136 rushing yards, 4 rushing touchdowns
- 2024 (11 games): 6-5 record as a starter, 1,814 yards, 8 passing touchdowns, 47.7 completion %, 12 interceptions, 499 rushing yards, 6 rushing touchdowns
- 2025 (2 games): 0 games as a starter, 9 passing yards, 0 passing touchdowns, 50 completion % (1/2 pass attempts), -1 rushing yards, 0 rushing touchdowns
Trey Lance traded from the 49ers to the Cowboys
- San Francisco 49ers sent Trey Lance to the Dallas Cowboys for a 2024 fourth-round pick
The 49ers selected Lance in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft with the third overall pick. Lance only started four games in his first two years, and the team ultimately saw seventh-round pick Brock Purdy outplay him and take the starting job.
This led the 49ers to trade Lance to the Cowboys in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the following draft. And when you look at Lance’s stats with the 49ers, you’d have to assume Richardson is more valuable than he was at the time.
With the 49ers, Lance had a 2-2 record as a starter and recorded 797 passing yards, five passing touchdowns, three interceptions, and completed 56 of 102 pass attempts for a 54.9% completion percentage. If the 49ers were able to get a fourth-round pick for Lance to be the Cowboys’ backup, it would be fair for the Colts to hope for a similar or larger return for Richardson.
Kenny Pickett’s 3 trades since being drafted by the Steelers
- 2024: Pittsburgh Steelers sent Kenny Pickett and a 2024 fourth-round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles for a 2024 third-round pick
- March 2025: Eagles sent Pickett to the Cleveland Browns for a 2025 fifth-round pick
- August 2025: Browns sent Pickett to the Las Vegas Raiders for a 2026 fifth-round pick
Kenny Pickett is an interesting study because he hasn’t been traded once but instead three times since being selected in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He started 24 games for the Steelers during his two years with the team before being traded to the Eagles ahead of the 2024 season.
He finished with a 14-10 record as a starter, throwing for 4,474 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. The Eagles landed him as Jalen Hurts’ backup for a 2024 fourth-round pick. The Eagles then turned around and traded him again a year later, in March of 2025, to the Browns for a 2025 fifth-round pick, and a few months later, the Browns flipped him for a 2026 fifth-round pick.
So, across three trades, Pickett has been able to land his teams at least a fifth-round pick, with the highest value being a fourth-round pick. It feels like every trade projection for Richardson has the Colts getting roughly a sixth-round pick. I think they will do better than that, and there will be more teams interested than people realize.
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