WESTFIELD – Nearly six months after Anthony Richardson Sr. requested permission to seek a trade, the Colts’ fourth-year former first-round pick remains entrenched in a heated battle for the backup quarterback spot.
And the Colts plan to keep it that way.
As Colts general manager Chris Ballard told reporters the day before training camp opened last month, the team intends to keep three quarterbacks on the roster, and despite the laundry list of injuries, rocket arm and propensity for turnovers, a completion percentage that hovers around 50% and tapping out of a regular season game – Indianapolis still sees value in holding onto Richardson for the final year of his rookie contract.
“We want to have three (quarterbacks) who can play. He’s one of ‘em. He’s going to be here,” Colts assistant general manager Ed Dodds told reporters Sunday ahead of training camp practice. When asked about rostering three quarterbacks rather than promoting a third stringer off the practice squad or scanning the waiver wire, Dodds’ answer was pointed.
“Look at last year,” Dodds said with a hearty chuckle, referencing a Colts quaterback room that saw Daniel Jones suffer a fractured fibula, followed by a torn Achilles tendon to go with Richardson’s freak pre-game accident with a resistance band that fractured his orbital bone. When then-rookie third-string quarterback Riley Leonard appeared to have suffered a knee injury in the same game Jones ruptured his Achilles, head coach Shane Steichen placed a call to a retired Philip Rivers, who came off the couch to start three of the final four games for the Colts.
“I mean, you never know,” Dodds added.
A year ago, Richardson competed for the Colts’ starting spot after making 15 starts over the first two years of his career – going 8-7 in those games. But even after Jones tore his Achilles Dec. 7 of last year, the Colts made it clear they would re-sign the seven-year veteran and hand him the starting job. Six weeks after the end of the season, with Richardson's vision coming back and having gotten back on a practice field, he pushed for a trade.
Ballard agreed with Richardson’s camp to test the waters and the fourth-overall pick from the 2023 draft elected not to show up for the start of voluntary team activities in April. But the Colts got no bites that piqued their interest during the draft and Richardson returned to Indianapolis after working out privately in Jacksonville and embraced the fight with Leonard for the Colts’ backup QB spot.
“I’ll tell you, this is probably the first time in a while I felt really good in the totality of the (QB room). We feel like we have three guys who can all play, so that’s a great spot to be in right now,” said Ballard last month, who added that the franchise would not “just give (Richardson) away” in a trade.
A couple days into camp, Richardson’s $4.2 million roster bonus triggered, meaning the Colts only have his fully-guaranteed $1.145 million base salary left to pay through the end of this season. Though that could make it easier for a team who lost a backup quarterback to acquire a player with as high a ceiling as Richardson, the Colts may also view the $30 million-plus they’ve paid as an investment they would rather hold onto in case of an emergency this year.
After all, Jones has only completed one of his seven seasons without an injury. Though Leonard has looked more consistent over the first three weeks of training camp, he doesn't have the big-play ability that comes with Richardson – flaws and all.
Holding onto Richardson and then letting him walk – the Colts elected not to pick up Richardson’s fifth-year option in May, making him a free agent next spring – could also land the Colts a comp pick for Richardson, presuming he signs elsewhere in free agency. That pick could be better than any the Colts receive for Richardson in a trade.
“I think you take care of your own team first,” Dodds said.
Even with the trade request yet to be rescinded, Richardson told reporters a week ago he'll remain in Indianapolis through the remainder of his deal and fight for whatever opportunities may arise.
“If that’s what the team wants, that’s what I want. I just want to be able to help the team, and if it’s with this team, then I thank God for it,” Richardson said. “I’m just ready to showcase what I can do and be a winning piece to help this team win.
“Reps are reps, whether I’m with the first, second or third team. All reps count, and I’ve got to make them count, and I haven’t been necessarily been thinking of this as a QB competition, because I feel like I’m just trying to put my best foot forward, and the team can make their decision for the betterment of the team.”
Joel A. Erickson and Nathan Brown cover the Colts all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Colts Insider newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Why Colts have no plans to trade Anthony Richardson: 'Take care of your own team first'