Anthony Richardson asked for a trade earlier in the offseason once it became apparent that he was no longer the starting quarterback of the Indianapolis Colts. Several months later, no trade has happened, and Richardson does not seem to care much about that.
The Colts confirmed Thursday that Richardson will serve as Daniel Jones’ backup to open the 2026 season, which does constitute a promotion from where he was earlier in the offseason. Richardson labeled himself “honored” to get the job, and seemed to walk back his trade request when asked about it on Thursday.
“I’m here. I’m not really thinking about that. I haven’t really talked to my agent about that in a minute,” Richardson said of the request. “Since day one of camp, I’ve been trying to prep myself to be the backup for Danny.”
Anthony Richardson Sr. on being named the #Colts’ backup QB:
— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) September 3, 2026
“I’m honored. … I’m just thankful that they believe in me enough to promote me to QB2.”
But what about the trade request?
“I’m here. I’m not really thinking about that. I haven’t talked to my agent about that …” pic.twitter.com/uRHSXLcNGy
The Colts were prepared to trade Richardson during the offseason, but never found a taker. His stock had crashed after a rough few seasons that saw him lose his job and deal with a significant injury. He is 8-7 overall as an NFL starter, but his play has been inconsistent at best and terribly mistake-prone at worst.
Richardson seemed convinced the lack of a trade was a good thing when he last addressed it. Perhaps he was simply trying to convince himself of that.
