The Indianapolis Colts have benched their first-round quarterback Anthony Richardson from the 2023 draft after an up-and-down start to the season. Richardson is only 22 years old, and with three years of a rookie contract left after this season, he could be considered a premium asset. With quarterback pay always being in high demand in the NFL, here are five teams who could trade for the former fourth overall pick if made available.
5 Teams That Should Trade for Anthony Richardson
Las Vegas Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders will again be in the quarterback business after this season. They are slated as the seventh overall pick if the season ends today. The Raiders have gone between veteran Gardner Minshew and sophomore quarterback Aidan O’Connell starting games this season, and it’s time for the Raiders to invest in a viable option at quarterback.
The Raiders have been mocked a quarterback in mock drafts by NFL draft analysts. One of note is University of Colorado star Shedeur Sanders. By trading for Anthony Richardson, the Raiders could bypass the risk of missing out on Sanders and using their first-round pick to solidify another position on its roster.
New York Giants
After dabbling in the rookie quarterback pool during the 2024 draft, the New York Giants bypassed drafting a quarterback. They decided to go another season with former 2019 first-round pick Daniel Jones. The fact that the Giants sniffed around quarterbacks was a sign they were looking at life after Jones. Jones hasn’t been making it hard on the Giants to not look at other options as he has thrown for 1706 yards to go with six touchdowns and five interceptions, but they sit at 2-6.
Jones signed an extension with the Giants back in 2022, and the Giants can get from under it after this season. Richardson will be a great fit with head coach Brian Daboll as he has worked with a raw, hyper-athletic quarterback before in Josh Allen, and found success.
Tennessee Titans
The Titans could trade for Richardson in what could be a theoretical swap of the 2023 draft picks. In 2023, the Titans drafted Will Levis in the second round, while the Colts took Richardson in the first. The Levis experiment for the Titans has gone just as bad as the Richardson experiment for the Colts. Richardson has a higher ceiling than Levis, as Richardson’s athletic pre-draft profile is one of the best in league history. The only question is whether the Colts would trade Richardson to a division rival.
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers should get in the trade for Anthony Richardson business if the Colts make him available. Currently, Pittsburgh does not have its starting quarterback signed to its roster past 2024.
Russell Wilson and Justin Fields have been viable so far for the Steelers, with Fields going 4-2 as a starter and Wilson going 2-0 as a starter. However, the Steelers have yet to clarify that they want either Fields or Wilson beyond this season, which could make a trade for Richardson make sense. Coach Mike Tomlin could be the perfect coach to get Richardson going in the right direction.
Los Angeles Rams
A trade for Richardson could be the perfect suspension plan for the LA Rams when Matthew Stafford retires or moves on. Stafford is 36 years old and has been playing well since being traded to the Rams in 2021, but at some point, the Rams will need to look to the future, and Richardson could be their best option to prepare for the future.
The Rams have a reputation as an organization that rehabilitates players’ value after not working out with their previous teams. Sean McVay could be enticed with an offense he could draw up with Richardson’s skill set, which is why the Rams should consider a trade for the 2023 fourth overall pick.
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