March 14, 2026, 12:28 p.m. CT
The Green Bay Packers were specifically mentioned by Stephen Holder of ESPN as a “team to watch” for Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson, who is available via trade and desiring a “situation that pairs him with a proven QB developer.”
Matt LaFleur and the Packers — who developed Jordan Love into a starter and rehabbed Malik Willis into a top free agent target — fit the bill.
Richardson, the fourth overall pick in the 2023 draft, has started only 15 games over his first three NFL seasons and is now entering a contract year. The Colts are moving forward with Daniel Jones, who beat out Richardson for the starting job in 2025.
Over 17 games and 15 starts, Richardson has completed 177 of 350 passes (50.6 percent) for 2,400 yards (6.9 yards per attempt), 11 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions. His career passer rating is 67.8. He’s also rushed 115 times for 640 yards and 10 more scores. A Cam Newton-sized quarterback with elite athletic ability, Richardson is oozing with talent. But he needs major work in all the other aspects of playing the position at a consistent level. Accuracy. Footwork. Timing. Reading through progressions. Understanding how to play from the pocket.
Richardson likely sees the Willis pathway as a viable one to reviving his career as an NFL quarterback. Willis struggled with similar things during his first two NFL seasons in Tennessee but then spent two years in Green Bay developing behind Love and sporadically playing, including in a few big spots. And he impressed every time he was called into action, eventually turning the 11 games as a backup into a three-year contract and a starting quarterback job with the Miami Dolphins.
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Rehabbing quarterbacks is all the rage in the NFL right now. And it paid off for LaFleur — the Packers are likely to get a third-round compensatory pick back in 2027 if Willis plays a bunch for the Dolphins in 2026.
The Packers could use a talent infusion behind Love with Willis now in Miami. Desmond Ridder (third-round pick of Falcons in 2022) and Kyle McCord (2025 sixth-round pick of Eagles) are the currently backup quarterbacks on the roster.
The only question is cost. The Packers have limited draft capital in 2026, and Richardson is under contract for only the 2026 season. Can Green Bay afford to give up a pick for just one year of control? It’s possible a pick swap might make sense if Richardson is set on going to the Packers.