{"id":259351,"date":"2025-12-17T13:00:18","date_gmt":"2025-12-17T18:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=259351"},"modified":"2025-12-17T09:00:27","modified_gmt":"2025-12-17T14:00:27","slug":"anthony-richardson-could-draw-offseason-trade-value","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/12\/17\/anthony-richardson-could-draw-offseason-trade-value\/","title":{"rendered":"Colts First-Round Bust Could Draw Offseason Trade Value"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Indianapolis Colts brought Philip Rivers out of retirement<\/a> to try and save the season, but if he can’t do it, the team could go back to Anthony Richardson to increase his trade value. As of this posting, the former first-round pick is still on the injured reserve and not eligible for the active roster. Earlier in the season, Richardson suffered a freak eye injury<\/a> that kept him on the sideline and forced the team to turn to Rivers.<\/p>\n

While Rivers is a shell of his former self (as you’d expect after five years of retirement), he still gives this team the best chance to win. However, if the Colts fall out of the playoff picture, Indianapolis could look towards the future. Anthony Richardson probably doesn’t have a future with this team, but a strong start or two could bolster his trade value in the offseason.<\/p>\n

4 Teams Could Trade For Colts QB Anthony Richardson In Offseason<\/h2>\n

Even if Richardson plays well, the Colts probably won’t get anything more than a Day 3 pick for his services. However, beggars can’t be choosers, and the team will probably prefer to move forward with Daniel Jones<\/a> and a veteran backup. Anthony Richardson didn’t work out for the Colts, and nobody will make him a starter, but the following teams could trade for him to see if they can unlock his massive potential.<\/p>\n

Main Photo: Mykal McEldowney – Imagn Images<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

4. Carolina Panthers<\/h3>\n

After three years, nobody knows exactly how good Bryce Young is. At his best, the former first-overall pick looks like a legitimate franchise quarterback who could be the long-awaited heir to Cam Newton. However, he’s far too inconsistent, and his bad games still outnumber his good.<\/p>\n

Young has improved on an annual basis, so perhaps he’ll be even better in Year 4. However, seeing as he’s almost at the end of his rookie contract, it wouldn’t hurt to add some competition just in case he never improves from this form. Anthony Richardson went after Young in the 2023 NFL Draft, but the trade candidate could be the ideal high-ceiling backup to push Young on the depth chart.<\/p>\n

\"The
Nov 30, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) throws a pass during the third quarter against the Los Angeles Rams at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kinser-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/p>\n

3. Kansas City Chiefs<\/h3>\n

When healthy, Patrick Mahomes will be the unquestioned starter for the Kansas City Chiefs. However, he might not be healthy for a while. The quarterback tore his ACL last week and, while he wants to return for Week 1 of the 2026 season, he may be facing an uphill battle to do that. Kansas City must find someone capable of starting for a few weeks, and Richardson could be their ideal choice.<\/p>\n

Veteran quarterbacks like Gardner Minshew<\/a> or Joe Flacco might be safer options, but an Anthony Richardson trade offers considerably more upside. Head coach Andy Reid is still one of the game’s best offensive minds and might be able to get the most out of the former top-five pick.<\/p>\n

\"Patrick
Dec 14, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) is attended to by team medical staff following an injury during the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Chargers at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, second from right, stands on the sideline Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/p>\n

2. Pittsburgh Steelers<\/h3>\n

The Pittsburgh Steelers are in a position to make the playoffs with Aaron Rodgers<\/a>, but the four-time NFL MVP is not a long-term solution at the position. Rodgers may or may not return in 2026, but even if he does, the Steelers should start actively looking for a younger option at the position.<\/p>\n

Seeing as they probably won’t have the draft capital to land a top quarterback prospect, they might as well trade for Anthony Richardson. They tried a similar approach in 2024 when they paired Justin Fields with veteran Russell Wilson, so why not try to see if they can unlock Richardson?<\/p>\n

\"Rodgers
Dec 7, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) passes the ball against the Baltimore Ravens during the first half at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/p>\n

1. Los Angeles Rams<\/h3>\n

Matthew Stafford is the MVP frontrunner<\/a>, but, much like Rodgers, he’s much closer to the end of his career than the beginning. While Stafford is still playing at an elite level, the one-time Super Bowl champion hinted at retirement in the offseason and has an extensive injury history. If he wins MVP or the Super Bowl, he might decide to end his career on a high note, leaving the Rams without a quarterback.<\/p>\n

While the team has two first-round picks and can probably trade up for a quarterback, Anthony Richardson could offer the team some short-term stability at the position. If anyone can bring out the best in Richardson, it’s Sean McVay.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Nov 30, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) takes the field before the game against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kinser-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson could draw some trade value if he returns and plays well down the stretch.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2376,"featured_media":259353,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6431,30,16,34,9],"tags":[9564,7811,7800,7661],"class_list":["post-259351","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl-teams","category-panthers","category-chiefs","category-rams","category-steelers","tag-anthony-richardson","tag-chiefs-featured","tag-indianapolis-colts-news","tag-panthers-featured"],"modified_by":"David Latham, Managing Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/259351","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2376"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=259351"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/259351\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":259368,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/259351\/revisions\/259368"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/259353"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=259351"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=259351"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=259351"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}