What happens if Colts can't trade Anthony Richardson? The latest from GM Chris Ballard

PHOENIX — From the sounds of it, the Colts are comfortable with the prospect of second-year quarterback Riley Leonard assuming the No. 2 role if former starter Anthony Richardson is moved this offseason. A trade has not developed since Richardson first asked for one during the NFL scouting combine, and it remains unclear if the Colts would release Richardson in the event that no team comes calling for the No.

4 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. But Colts general manager Chris Ballard answered a question about the team’s contingency plan behind starting quarterback Daniel Jones by praising Leonard, the 2025 sixth-round pick who surprised just about everybody with his play against the NFL’s best defense in the regular-season finale. “We like Riley, we like what he did,” Ballard said.

“The game wasn’t too big for him. That’s what I like the most. ” Richardson’s future in Indianapolis remains up in the air.

Drafted to be the team’s quarterback of the future, Richardson opened his first two seasons as the starter, then lost a training-camp battle with Jones last season, and Indianapolis is fully committed to Jones as the team’s starter. Without a clear path to the starting job available, Richardson requested a fresh start. “He asked for a trade,” Ballard said.