Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson wants out of Indy as he requested a trade to go to a team where he might have a clearer path to play. That won't be the Green Bay Packers after the NFC North team signed Tyrod Taylor in free agency on Monday.
In other words, Taylor has seemingly more value than Richardson, who is younger, bigger, and more athletic. What he isn't is more successful in the games he has played. The problem doesn't end with what the Pack has done, though.
As ESPN's Jeremy Fowler points out, the Colts' quarterback was interested in joining a system like Sean McVay's of the Los Angeles Rams, Kyle Shanahan's of the San Francisco 49ers, or Matt LaFleur's of the Packers, but this offseason, those teams made moves (or didn't make, in the case of San Francisco) that leaves them with no need for AR5.
The Packers sign Tyrod Taylor, which is bad news for the Indianapolis Colts' Anthony Richardson
In other words, as much as Richardson would like to be traded and the team would like to honor his request to be so, he and Indy are running out of options to send him elsewhere. Will that cause locker room issues once the season is underway, and potentially the quarterback is sunk to third on the depth chart behind Daniel Jones and Riley Leonard, respectively?
The other option is to outright release the quarterback, in which the team would literally save zero dollars, but the quarterback would then be floating in sudden free agency, where he might not find a home. It would be a much more awkward situation for the player than the team, as the Colts already have a top-two in the QB room.
The positive part is that Anthony Richardson showed up for the Indianapolis Colts voluntary workouts this week, proving that while he has asked to be traded, he isn't a bad guy. That should be meaningful to teams thinking about trying to acquire him.
To be fair, as much as general manager Chris Ballard is trying to take the high road and not give Richardson away for nearly nothing, the lack of movement doesn't really help the team. Indy needs to move forward with Jones and Leonard, as the latter still has three years left on their rookie deal, while Richardson has just one, and keeping Richardson just takes up a roster spot.
No matter where Anthony Richardson ends up, he will be a backup. To be released might be his best option. If he signs a cheap two-year deal, he would at least have a couple of seasons to prove what he can do. If he is traded, he has just one season to do so. The Indianapolis Colts ultimately wouldn't care.