Colts Grant Anthony Richardson Permission to Seek Trade as Vikings Express Interest
The Indianapolis Colts and anthony richardson have mutually agreed to examine trade options after team officials met with the quarterback's agent, Deiric Jackson, on Thursday morning, a move that begins a formal search for a new landing spot and marks the first step toward a potential breakup.
Anthony Richardson: Colts, Agent Agree to Seek Trade
The Colts and Anthony Richardson have mutually agreed to seek a trade following a meeting between Indianapolis leadership and Deiric Jackson on Thursday morning that concluded it was in both parties' best interest to explore options. After that meeting, the immediate sentiment from team contacts is that Richardson's future lies elsewhere rather than in Indianapolis.
Vikings Have Interest as QB Room Evolves
One team to watch in a potential move is the Minnesota Vikings, who are working to add to their quarterback room alongside J. J. McCarthy and have expressed interest in evaluating Richardson as a possible fit.
Injuries, Accuracy and Career Numbers for anthony richardson
Richardson entered the NFL as the No. 4 overall pick in 2023 with an enticing athletic profile, but injuries disrupted his rookie campaign. He struggled with accuracy and consistency in 2024, appearing in 11 games. In the subsequent season he was beaten out by Daniel Jones for the starting job and appeared in just two games (zero starts) before suffering an orbital bone fracture during pregame warmups in Week 6. Over three seasons since Indianapolis used a top-five pick on the Florida product, Richardson completed 50. 6% of 350 pass attempts for 2, 400 yards, 11 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.
Front-Office Reaction and Injury Status
General manager Chris Ballard addressed Richardson's situation at the Scouting Combine and rejected the notion that Richardson had no future with the franchise while the team plans to retain Daniel Jones. Ballard noted that Richardson has been cleared from his injury and said, "I'm not gonna say he needs a complete fresh start. Anthony's still young. He's still developing. So we'll see what the future holds. But I still believe in Anthony. " Despite that expressed belief, meetings with the quarterback's representatives produced a view that a parting of ways is likely.
Trade Value, Timeline and Likely Outcomes
Given Richardson's athletic upside, a team could take a chance on him as a rehab project. The expected return in a trade, however, would likely be minimal and well short of the value of the first-round pick used to select him. The situation follows a familiar pattern: when sides agree to seek a trade and nothing materializes, a release is often the next step. Whether Indianapolis will release Richardson or keep him through the summer as insurance against injuries elsewhere remains to be seen.
Companion Notes: Combine Measurements, Trades and Market Moves
Developments around the Scouting Combine and other roster movement were also noted: an edge rusher, Rueben Bain Jr., had arm measurements listed at 30 and 7/8 inches on Thursday at the 2026 Scouting Combine. Separately, the Tennessee Titans agreed to trade nose tackle T'Vondre Sweat to the New York Jets in exchange for pass rusher Jermaine Johnson II. The prevailing assumption is that Trey Hendrickson's time in Cincinnati may be finished, though Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin declined to treat that outcome as finalized.
Veteran wide receiver Mike Evans could be changing teams for the first time in his 13-year NFL career; his agent, Deryk Gilmore, said Evans intends to see what his market looks like. A fragment in event coverage about another player — "If Caleb Williams continues to make strides in Year 2" — is present but unclear in the provided context.
Programming notes list live coverage of the 2026 Scouting Combine through March 1 without naming platforms. An entry labeled "429 Too Many Requests" appears in the material but is unclear in the provided context and its relevance to roster or combine news is unspecified.
As the Colts and Anthony Richardson begin a formal trade search, teams weighing a move will balance his athletic upside against a history of injuries, spotty accuracy and limited playing experience. The next steps will determine whether a trade surfaces, a release follows, or Indianapolis retains him as contingency depth into the summer.
