Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson Sr. has requested a trade, league sources confirmed to The Athletic on Thursday. The 2023 No. 4 pick is seeking a new home after an up-and-down three-year tenure in Indianapolis that has been more down than up.
Richardson’s representation met with Colts brass Thursday morning in Indianapolis to request a trade, and both parties agreed that a “fresh start” is what’s best for Richardson, a league source told The Athletic.
Richardson’s representation also provided the Colts with medical documentation Wednesday night that shows Richardson has regained his full vision after suffering an orbital fracture in October, the source said. Those medical records will also be provided to any of Richardson’s potential suitors.
“He has 20/20 vision in both eyes,” the source said.
Richardson’s request to move on from Indianapolis is not surprising, considering he lost the starting job to Daniel Jones last season, and the Colts are trying to re-sign Jones to a long-term deal in free agency. Indianapolis GM Chris Ballard and coach Shane Steichen have also spoken highly of 2025 sixth-round pick Riley Leonard as a potential QB2, which all but solidifies that Richardson has no chance to start again in Indianapolis.
Richardson was the Colts’ highest-drafted player since Andrew Luck was selected with the first pick in 2012. After Luck shockingly retired ahead of the 2019 season, the Colts ran through a series of veteran QBs before drafting Richardson, hoping he would become a long-term solution. However, since coming to Indianapolis, Richardson has hardly lived up to his draft slot.
The dual-threat signal-caller, who turns 24 in May, has appeared in just 17 games through his first three years. Richardson has been plagued by injuries and inaccuracy, as well as past immaturity that led to a two-game benching in 2024. He had just a 47.7 completion percentage in 11 games in 2024, which was the lowest mark in the league and the lowest in franchise history.
All told, Richardson is 8-7 as an NFL starter. He’s thrown for 2,400 yards and 11 TD passes against 13 interceptions. He has a career 50.6 completion percentage, with just one full game in which he completed at least 65 percent of his passes. Richardson has also rushed for 634 yards (5.5 yards per carry) and 10 touchdowns.
Ballard was asked Tuesday at the combine if Richardson needs a change of scenery, but the GM — who has been Richardson’s most vocal supporter in Indianapolis — pushed back.
“I’m not gonna say he needs a complete fresh start,” Ballard said. “Anthony’s still young. He’s still developing. So, we’ll see what the future holds. I still believe in Anthony.”
Two days after Ballard’s comments, Richardson formally requested a trade.
“No doubt,” Richardson said in January when asked if he remains confident in his potential to become a franchise QB. “If I still got a chance to play football, then s— it’s always out there for me.”
Richardson ended the 2025 season on injured reserve due to the orbital fracture he suffered in a “freak accident” during pregame warmups, as league sources described to The Athletic. While Richardson was getting ready for the Colts’ home game against the Arizona Cardinals on Oct. 12, he attached a stretching band to a rod in the locker room. However, when he pulled the band to stretch, the rod broke and recoiled with the band, hitting Richardson in the face at a high rate of speed. The QB went down in a bloody heap and was taken to a local hospital in an ambulance. He was discharged later that day before ultimately undergoing surgery on Oct. 20.
Richardson, who now has a scar underneath his right eye, returned to practice Dec. 18 but remained on IR for the rest of the season. Ballard said Tuesday that the QB has been cleared to resume playing football, though the evaluation of Richardson’s eye will obviously be a key factor in trade talks.
Richardson also has a rather pricey $10.8 million cap hit in 2026. If the Colts strike a deal for Richardson, they would create $5.4 million in cap space. However, it’s hard to gauge Richardson’s potential trade value. The San Francisco 49ers traded quarterback Trey Lance, the 2021 No. 3 pick, to the Dallas Cowboys in August 2023 for a 2024 fourth-round pick. Lance, similarly to Richardson, had some injury concerns. He only started four games and threw five TD passes for the 49ers.
