3 logical trade destinations for Anthony Richardson if the Colts decide to move on from the former first-round pick

If the Colts decide it’s time to trade Anthony Richardson, three teams stand out as the most likely landing spots for the QB.

Destin Adams — NFL News Writer
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Colts QB Anthony Richardson
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When the Indianapolis Colts used the fourth-overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft on Anthony Richardson, they had high hopes that he would be the answer at QB. It’s something they had been searching for since Andrew Luck’s shocking retirement.

Sadly, the first three years of Richardson’s career haven’t gone to plan. Injuries and on-field struggles led the team to bring in veteran Daniel Jones to compete with him for the starting job, a competition Richardson of course went on to lose.

Anthony Richardson’s advanced stats

  • Big-time throw rate: 5.9%
  • Turnover-worthy play rate: 4.5%
  • Average depth of target: 11.3
  • Pressure to sack rate: 14.4%
  • Time to throw: 2.92s
  • Passer rating: 67.8

Even as the backup, Richardson suffered an injury due to a freak off-the-field accident. The injury landed the QB on injured reserve and prevented him from taking over for Jones. And now the writing on the wall seems to point towards the Colts bringing Jones back for the 2026 season and moving Richardson elsewhere. 

Three teams stand out as logical trade destinations for the former first-round pick, who’s slated to make $5.385 million in 2026. So without further ado, let’s dive into each team and why they could trade for Richardson this offseason.

Miami Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins are undergoing a full reset of their leadership infrastructure. The Dolphins replaced general manager Chris Grier by hiring Jon-Eric Sullivan, who most recently served as the Green Bay Packers vice president of player personnel, and are in the process of finding their next head coach after firing Mike McDaniel.

One of the first moves the Dolphins’ new regime could make is moving on from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. If the team does that, it will need a starter for next season. Trading for Richardson would give the Dolphins a fairly cheap QB with plenty of upside to bet on.

Best case, he proves he can be a franchise QB, and the Dolphins land a steal for likely an early Day 3 pick. The worst-case scenario is that it doesn’t work out, and they let him walk in free agency as they begin looking for a long-term solution at QB.

Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings have their own former first-round pick who hasn’t panned out the way they hoped: J.J. McCarthy.  His struggles on the field and string of injuries caused Minnesota to miss the postseason, and the team will have to consider bringing in competition at QB for next season.

Richardson is set to count under $11 million on the cap in the final year of his rookie contract in 2026. However, the Colts keep the impact of the prorated signing bonus, so his new team would owe him less than $6 million next year.

The Vikings won’t find a more cost-effective option to compete with McCarthy. It’s also pretty well known that Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell was a big fan of Richardson during his draft process. The two even shared a touching moment after the Colts played the Vikings in 2024. 

Los Angeles Rams

The Los Angeles Rams are a bit different from the first two teams listed because they have a high-caliber starting QB in Matthew Stafford. Stafford is the odds-on favorite to win the MVP award for the 2025 season, so it would be a shock if he isn’t back in 2026. Stafford will turn 38 years old in February, and there were already rumors last offseason that the QB could be considering retirement in the near future.

Therefore, the Rams need to consider adding a future replacement for the potential future Hall of Famer. Richardson will need a new contract after next year, but sitting behind Stafford for a year or two would be fantastic for his development. 

Richardson is still only 23 years old, and he doesn’t turn 24 until May. The talent is there; he just needs to learn how to be a pro and land in a spot that is willing to help him polish the edges of his game, given his inexperience. The Rams could be the perfect spot for him to just learn under Stafford’s tutelage in Sean McVay’s offense.

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