Anthony Richardson is still a member of the Indianapolis Colts, even though the former first-round pick requested a trade earlier in the offseason. Selected in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Florida product is an elite athlete with one of the strongest arms in football. Based on raw talent alone, he has the potential to be one of the best quarterbacks in football. Unfortunately, he has yet to put it all together. Injuries limited him to just four games as a rookie, and his 2024 season left a lot to be desired. Starting and appearing in 11 games, Richardson completed just 47.7% of his passes for 1,814 yards, eight touchdowns, and 12 interceptions.
The Colts brought in Daniel Jones to compete for the starting job in 2025, and he ultimately beat out Anthony Richardson and had perhaps the best season of his career. Unfortunately, Jones suffered an Achilles injury midway through the season, but Richardson has already suffered a freak eye injury that kept him sidelined. With sixth-round rookie Riley Leonard also battling an injury, Indianapolis had no choice but to bring Philip Rivers out of retirement. With Jones healthy and re-signed to a big contract, this seems to be the end of the road for Richardson in Indianapolis, and Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox believes a trade to the Green Bay Packers or Minnesota Vikings could salvage his career.
“While Richardson remains in Indy and could provide insurance as Jones recovers from a torn Achilles, he should hope to rebuild his stock elsewhere,” Knox writes. “As QBs like Darnold and Baker Mayfield did before him, landing in a quarterback-friendly environment as a backup might be his best bet.”
Packers, Vikings Connected to Anthony Richardson
The Green Bay Packers are a fantastic spot for Anthony Richardson and probably give him the best opportunity to salvage his career. Richardson entered the league as a raw prospect, and most analysts across the league expected him to need a year or two before he was ready to start. Instead, the Colts threw him into the fire and gave up on him after less than a full season of starts. Jordan Love is firmly entrenched atop the Packers depth chart, so Richardson would have a legitimate chance to develop as a high-ceiling backup.
Green Bay recently went down a similar path with Malik Willis. A former third-round pick, Willis struggled tremendously in limited action with the Tennessee Titans before arriving in Green Bay. He then spent two years as a backup, playing well in limited relief appearances, and eventually signed a massive contract with the Miami Dolphins. Perhaps Anthony Richardson can enjoy a similar path to success with the right coaching and without the pressure of preparing to start every single week.
Trouble In Minnesota
The Minnesota Vikings, meanwhile, are in quarterback purgatory. After missing his rookie season with an injury, former first-round pick J.J. McCarthy had a disastrous 2025. While it would be easy to say that it’s too early to give up on him, it appears as though the Vikings already have. The team brought in quarterback Kyler Murray in the offseason, and all reports indicate the former first-overall pick is the clear-cut favorite to win the starting job. This has made McCarthy the subject of many a trade rumor himself, and it doesn’t appear as if he has much of a future in Minnesota.
Anthony Richardson is no locked-in success himself, but perhaps the Vikings and Colts can effectively swap their first-round busts. There’s no guarantee that either player could succeed in a new environment, but both players have the raw talent to at least be NFL-caliber players. Murray can be the team’s short-term starter, and perhaps Richardson could take over in 2027 if he impresses on the sideline.
