Anthony Richardson and the Indianapolis Colts are in a peculiar position. The team jumped the gun on Richardson and feels like it's in a win-now position and that Joe Flacco is better positioned to send the team to the playoffs.
And because the Colts decided to bench Richardson, it makes you wonder what’s next. They could keep him on the bench and prepare him for next season in hopes he becomes their franchise guy, or they could be fed up with him after 10 games and decide to trade him.
One team that should be eager to develop Richardson is the Los Angeles Rams.
There’s only 1 Anthony Richardson trade destination that would revive his career
If the Colts did pull the trigger on an Anthony Richardson trade, landing in Los Angeles would give Richardson the best chance to revive his career, or perhaps more accurately, to develop it.
I don’t like the Colts giving up on Richardson so soon in his career and as I’ve said before that if nothing more, this shatters his confidence moving forward. From the front office to the coaching staff and even his teammates, Richardson won’t be the same if he starts next season.
So it’s probably better he ends up on a new team. And in Los Angeles, he could land in the best situation possible. He’ll get to learn from a Super Bowl winning quarterback in Matthew Stafford and a great young coach in Sean McVay.
Richardson with a McVay offense could be a lethal combination. It would force Richardson to go through progressions and not rely so much on running – that way he wouldn’t have to take himself out from being too tired, like what happened earlier this year.
It would allow him to have less pressure with the run game being critical in opening up the offense. And learning from a gunslinger like Stafford could help him get more comfortable reading defenses.
It’s not likely the Colts move on from Richardson this soon. Maybe they want to see how Flacco looks and if he still has something left over from his success in Cleveland last year. Maybe the Colts are teaching Richardson a lesson that nothing is guaranteed and want to show why not to take advantage of being a starting quarterback in the NFL. Or maybe this is the beginning of the end. If Flacco leads the Colts to the playoffs, they may consider finding a suitor for Richardson.