Feb. 26, 2026, 1:11 p.m. ET

The Cleveland Browns will likely look to add a low-stakes quarterback to their room to compete with Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson. And after he was granted the opportunity to seek a trade from the Indianapolis Colts today, former first round pick Anthony Richardson makes sense for head coach Todd Monken.

After being selected with the fourth overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft, Richardson had a successful rookie season before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury. His sophomore season was plagued with inaccuracy woes and decisions that led to his benching in favor of Joe Flacco. The Colts then brought in Daniel Jones last offseason, who then beat out Richardson for the starting job.

It now seems like Richardson will be off to greener pastures. Here are some reasons why Richardson and the Browns may just be the fit to watch for:

Why Richardson is a fit with the Browns

Monken has been explicit about the need for an athletic quarterback who can extend and improvise when structure around him breaks down. While this may have once existed within the playstyle of Watson, he has not played football in nearly two years after tearing his achilles not once, but twice. Sanders, while he has shown some ability to make plays outside of structure, is nothing more than an average athlete.

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If the Browns are going to find themselves in a transitional year at the quarterback position, at least giving Monken an explosive one to operate his offense would make sense. Richardson has gone through bouts of poor play and steep injury history, but the flashes of explosive playmaking ability keep you coming back.

What Anthony Richardson might cost in a trade

At this point in his career, after being benched and dealing with an eye injury that ended his season, Richardson would not cost anything more than a mid-Day 3 pick. The Browns have three fifth round picks in this year’s class, so flipping one of them to the Colts, potentially even in a pick swap.

With the Browns more than likely looking for a low-end investment into the quarterback room with Watson still on the books, Richardson’s rookie contract and low pick exchange would be an ideal pricetag. With NFL free agency starting in two weeks, we’ll get a better idea of how the Browns will round out their QB room.