Last week the Indianapolis Colts announced that they were benching last years fourth overall pick Anthony Richardson. This was a big mistake by the Colts if you ask just about anyone in Indy. Now it has a lot of teams wondering if they can do a better job developing him. Team's are calling the Colts to inquire about a trade, the Detroit Lions would be wise to be one of those teams. 

Sources: Teams have inquired with the #Colts about the possibility of trading QB Anthony Richardson, who was benched this week, though a trade is considered unlikely.

Several teams I spoke to still view Richardson as a franchise-caliber quarterback, and view Indy pulling the… pic.twitter.com/ptiygSQuaB

— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) November 3, 2024

Some Lions fans may have multiple questions about why the Lions would make a trade like this when they have Jared Goff playing at an MVP level.

Here's the thing, this is all about the future for the Lions. Jared Goff is not going to be around forever. I would love it if he was. It would be cool if he became bionic at some point and just played into his 70's, but that's just not going to happen. 

Richardson is only 22-years-old in his second season in the league. He's one of the youngest quarterbacks in the NFL. The Lions could take him and put him on the bench and have him work with Mark Brunell, Ben Johnson, Tanner Engstrand and Dan Campbell. All those guys that have a big hand in resurrecting Jared Goff. They can develop a guy, we've seen it happen.

Then maybe in 2028 when Goff is 34-years-old and Richardson is 26, the Lions can make the change. Maybe they can do it earlier if Goff declines. They have their out in his contract in 2027. 

The other question is what about Hendon Hooker? The biggest thing about Hooker is he's already the age that Richardson will be in 2028. Hooker is 26 and he'll be 27 in January. While he can be a great backup quarterback, there is no real future in Detroit as a starter. The Lions will probably draft someone else in a few years anyways. This trade would likely prevent them from having to do that. 

Plus the Lions have already shown interest in Richardson. They met with five quarterbacks ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft and wound up with two of them (Hendon Hooker and Adrian Martinez.) Anthony Richardson was one of the guys they met with. The Lions don't just meet with guys to meet with them.

The Lions have shown a ton in the past few years that they draft the guys they meet with. They drafted four guys last year and then five players this year. 

Ok, so what about the whole thing where he tapped himself out of the game? Well, there seems to be a big disconnect there between what football fans think and what people in the NFL think. For example, his teammates defended him, Vikings DC Brain Flores defended him and NFL execs defended him. Nobody in the league sees that moment as a quitting moment or a moment that defines his career and who he is. 

Lastly, what's the cost here? The Colts screwed themselves with this one. They just told the league they don't need him, so they can't come back and ask for a high draft pick or multiple picks. The deal that makes the most sense would be the Lions send over a conditional fourth-round pick that could become a third-round pick if conditions are met. The conditions could be that the Lions feel they have a player they feel they can develop and that they hold onto. 

At the end of the day this team talks a lot about sustained success. One of the best ways to sustain success is to have a plan for the future. This is a good plan. 

Brian Branch’s helmet to helmet hit, hand gestures, ejection and his past could cause big problems for him and the Lions

A ridiculous moment happened with Detroit Lions safety Brian Branch in the first half of the Lions game against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.  Branch got flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct on what should have been an incomplete pass on third down. We won't dispute the call. It was a clear helmet to helmet hit […]