The Indianapolis Colts struck big at the NFL trade deadline, swinging a deal to acquire cornerback Sauce Gardner from the New York Jets. The Colts paid a heavy price to land Gardner, parting with two first-round draft picks and former second-round wide receiver Adonai Mitchell, but for Indianapolis clearly felt it was worth it.
So what’s next in the pipeline for a Colts team that has actually been very aggressive in adding talent since the offseason?
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Well, an NFL executive feels that Indianapolis may try and flip quarterback Anthony Richardson in a trade.
“They were desperate for a corner, so I totally get it,” the exec said, via Mike Sando of The Athletic. “The owner (Jim Irsay) died, they are going for it. Maybe they think they can move Anthony Richardson for something.”
In other words, the Colts surrendered so much draft capital in exchange for Gardner because they may feel they could recover some of that with a Richardson trade during the offseason.
But it’s fair to question just how much Richardson is worth at this point of his career.
Yes, Richardson is a former No. 4 overall pick, but he made just 15 starts over his first couple of seasons before being benched in favor of castoff Daniel Jones this year.
Richardson completed just 50.6 percent of his passes during his first two years in the NFL, registering a completion percentage of 47.7 percent through 11 starts in 2024.
The 23-year-old has struggled with injuries and is currently on the injured reserve list due to a freak accident with a resistance band that fractured his orbital bone earlier this season. Prior to that, though, Richardson dealt with a plethora of football-related injuries including a concussion, shoulder issues and hip and back problems.
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Perhaps there is a quarterback-needy team out there willing to part with a Day 2 pick for the University of Florida product, who certainly has talent as a dual threat signal-caller.
Richardson has two years of club control remaining on his rookie deal.
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