Anthony Richardson requested a trade earlier in the offseason after the Indianapolis Colts made it clear Daniel Jones was their guy. Now, two weeks out from the regular season, Richardson is still with the Colts, and the team doesn't appear intent on dealing him at the moment. But that could change after Saturday's preseason finale against the Lions.
Head coach Shane Steichen said he intends to start Richardson against Detroit, with Riley Leonard set to take over in the second quarter and Easton Stick finishing up after. Richardson will only play the first quarter, but if he performs well enough, he could steal the No. 2 job in Indy — or potentially show enough for another NFL franchise to trade for him before the regular season kicks off. More news: Colts Get Good News on $114 Million Man Alec Pierce More news: Commanders Bring in Former Bills Second-Round Pick to Bolster Pass Rush Richardson appeared in both of the Colts' first two preseason games and largely outperformed Leonard, a sixth-round pick in 2025.
In the preseason opener against the Patriots, Richardson got the start and went 11 of 14 for 145 yards. He also threw an interception on his first play of the game but added 53 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown on six carries. Leonard, meanwhile, went 10 of 21 for 89 yards and threw an interception, along with just 12 yards rushing.
In the Falcons game a week later, Leonard started and completed 7 of 14 passes for 62 yards, while Richardson came on later and finished 3 of 9 for 29 yards, along with 15 rushing yards on three attempts. Neither quarterback looked overly impressive, but Richardson showcased more rushing upside and still has the build of an elite, franchise-caliber quarterback, even if he has yet to live up to the hype. Right now, the Colts are in no rush to deal Richardson.
He still has one more year left on his rookie contract, and his market value isn't what it once was. But if he shows out on Saturday, quarterback-needy teams could come calling. Steichen, for his part, isn't tipping his hand on how the QB2 competition will shake out.
"I don't have a timetable on that, to be honest," the Colts coach said. "We got this week, we got next week as well, so we're just going to let that process play out." More news: Browns’ Next QB Battle Set for Preseason Finale vs Patriots
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