Why the Colts hanging onto Anthony Richardson is the worst thing for everyone involved

The Indianapolis Colts are doing the exact opposite of what everyone, including Anthony Richardson Sr., has asked them to do with their third-string quarterback. Assistant general manager Ed Dodds bluntly signaled the team is not going to honor Richardson's preseason trade request, instead viewing his retention as a noble preparation for the worst case scenario.

"I think you take care of your own team first," Dodds told reporters Sunday. "We want to have three [quarterbacks] that can play. So, if [Richardson] is one of them, he's going to be here ... Look at last year. You never know."

Dodds is referring to the situation Indianapolis found itself in 2025 when starter Daniel Jones suffered a season-ending Achilles rupture and Richardson wasn't available due to a freak eye injury suffered earlier in the year. The Colts had to turn to then-43-year-old Philip Rivers to save what was a promising campaign up until that point. Dodd's reasoning feels like an overreaction to that.

Colts are making the wrong long-term decision by not trading Anthony Richardson

What more proof do Dodds and Indianapolis need to see from Richardson that he simply does not fit in their system. He went 11-for-14 and threw for 145 yards in a 13-13 tie against the New England Patriots on Thursday, lobbing a terrible interception on the opening drive.

Richardson rushed for 53 yards and a touchdown, but most of his total yardage came on a single attempt early in the second quarter. He also turned the ball over a second time, leading some to believe his dual-threat abilities are waning. If he can't offer that kind of uniqueness in his game any longer, he's just another guy and not worth the Colts' time.

The team already (stupidly) paid him his $4.24 million roster bonus in April and his contract expires after this season. He was passed by Riley Leonard for the QB2 role and is getting paid way too much to be a third-string bench rider. The clock is ticking for Indianapolis to get something out of their depreciating QB asset. He's owed another $1.145 million this year and it would be in the team's best interest to have someone else take that on.

Richardson is only two years removed from an 1,800-yard campaign and could benefit from a change in scenery. That's the best argument the team has to convince another team he's worth acquiring. The Colts aren't going to have a better market for him the longer things drag out. At this point he'll be sold for pennies on the dollar.

He's not asking to be traded because he wants a new contract. He's asking to be traded because he wants out of an organization he clearly feels won't give him the playing time he wants. Of course, Richardson needs to show some kind of improvement on the field to earn playing time elsewhere but he's not going to be able to do that beyond the next two preseason games should the Colts keep him as an insurance option.

That path only diminishes the value Indianapolis could get for him and it risks worsening Richardson's playing abilities, possibly ending his career just four years after he was drafted fourth overall. the whole situation is very unfortunate because it's an unforced error on Indianapolis' part and Richardson doesn't deserve to go down in the same category of draft busts as JaMarcus Russell and Josh Rosen.

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