The Indianapolis Colts signed quarterback Daniel Jones to a two-year contract worth $88 million in free agency, allowing the team some leeway to part with Anthony Richardson this offseason.
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Richardson, the No. 4 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, has not been traded, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter thinks the Colts could not find a robust market for the quarterback this offseason.
Richardson would prefer to land with a new team via a trade, but Indianapolis wants to get value for giving up on the former first-round pick.
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“The market for him was soft,” Schefter said of Richardson during an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Tuesday. “If there was a market for him, they would have traded him… it didn’t materialize. So now you have to ask yourself, ‘Okay, is it worth it to deal him where you’re like, I’m making some flipping picks, like Richardson and a seven for a six,’ like, why are you going to do that?”
“You might as well hold on to the guy. He would obviously like a fresh start and go somewhere where he gets some reps and work and change the scenery. But you’re not just going to give away the former fourth overall pick in the 2023 draft.”
On Monday, Colts general manager Chris Ballard told Pro Football Talk that he’s had talks with other NFL teams about Richardson. Ballard thinks Richardson could have better success with a new organization.
“We’ll see how it works out here over time,” Ballard said. “We’ve had some discussions with teams. Nothing’s come to fruition at this point. I’m proud of his development, his growth. He’s had some bad freaking luck.
“We’ve seen it in this league, sometimes things don’t work out one place and they become good at the next. We’ll see here over the next month how that ends up working out with Anthony.”
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold won a Super Bowl just a few years after the New York Jets gave up on the former first-round pick. Darnold was doing well for the Colts last season, months after the New York Giants cut him.
Richardson could be the next former first-round pick to succeed with a new team. But currently, no team wants to pay the price to bring him in.
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