Indianapolis Colts assistant general manager Ed Dodds recently made the case for keeping quarterback Anthony Richardson Sr. rather than trading him.
Last year, the Indianapolis Colts learned the critical lesson of having quality depth at the most important spots.
Facing injury issues with their top three quarterbacks, they felt forced to turn to 44-year-old Philip Rivers, who last played in the NFL for the Colts in 2020. They lost their final four games without starter Daniel Jones, who tore his right Achilles, missing out on what once seemed like a guaranteed playoff spot.
For that reason, the Colts see no urgency in trading away quarterback Anthony Richardson Sr. when they could very well need him down the line.
“Look at last year," Colts assistant general manager Ed Dodds said through laughter this week. "So yeah, I mean, you never know.”
Richardson is currently in limbo after requesting a trade from the team in February. No reasonable offers have been presented yet, so the Colts haven't moved him, repeatedly saying that they "won't just give him away."
“Well, I think you take care of your own team first," Dodds said. "We want to have three (quarterbacks) that can play. So, if he's one of them, he's going to be here.”
The Colts made Richardson the No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, but things haven't gone to plan.
Richardson suffered a season-ending injury early as a rookie, and then had major performance issues in 2024. He lost the starting QB battle against Jones last summer before suffering a freak pregame injury to his eye in Week 6.
All signs pointed to both sides needing a fresh start, which spurred Richardson's trade request.
Through three years, injuries have plagued Richardson, who has been available for just 29 of a possible 51 games.
“It's a number of factors. I mean, a lot of it’s probably been injuries," Dodds said as to why
Richardson hasn't developed further. "He was really raw coming in, and that stunted it. Every time he kind of got going, he got hurt, but he's working hard out here and we're just going to keep evaluating it and he's going to keep getting better.”
When Richardson was on the field, he struggled to find consistency, and his preparation behind the scenes was also called into question.
Midway through his second season, the Colts recognized that Richardson was "drowning" on the field and they benched him for two games. Truth be told, it likely would have been for longer had Joe Flacco performed better. Richardson returned to the lineup and looked much better, but a back injury ended yet another season.
Richardson's 2024 season was historically poor, as his 47.7% completion percentage was the worst in a single season in Colts franchise history.
Richardson now finds himself competing with Riley Leonard for the Colts' backup quarterback role, but whether he remains with the Colts or finds a new team is up in the air.
From the Colts' perspective, despite the peaks and valleys, Richardson is more valuable to them on the roster than off of it.
