Colts' Anthony Richardson Sr. has reportedly accepted this reality after trade request

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson Sr. is stuck in somewhat of a career purgatory this spring after he requested a trade following the 2025 season. 

It is now clear that the Colts couldn't find a buyer willing to give up anything of real value for Richardson before the 2026 NFL Draft wrapped up. Meanwhile, a recent report repeated that the Colts aren't planning to release Richardson anytime soon, even though the club declined the fifth-year option for 2027 attached to his rookie contract. 

On Tuesday, NFL insider Jason La Canfora of SportsBoom US suggested that Richardson reported for voluntary workouts because the 2023 first-round draft pick read the writing on the wall regarding his future. 

Anthony Richardson Sr. has accepted harsh reality of situation

"League sources indicated that Richardson has accepted that it is almost certain that he plays out this season with the Colts, and then takes his chances in free agency next year after fulfilling his rookie contract," La Canfora wrote. "...Richardson has not been a distraction of any sort since reporting to Indianapolis and the reality is, with [starter Daniel Jones] a high risk for injury throughout his career, and with the Colts adding quality pieces to their offensive roster in recent years, Richardson is actually in about as good a position as he could hope for, all things considered." 

The Colts signed Jones to a two-year, $88M contract that could be worth up to $100M earlier this offseason. That said, he's spending the spring recovering from the torn Achilles tendon he suffered this past December. Thus, Richardson and 2025 sixth-round pick Riley Leonard should get plenty of practice reps amid the battle for Indianapolis' QB2 job. 

Why Anthony Richardson Sr. may be mad at Kyler Murray and Tua Tagovailoa 

Tua Tagovailoa of the Atlanta Falcons and Kyler Murray of the Minnesota Vikings received fresh stats from their current employers this offseason because they were able to ink veteran minimum contracts with those clubs. To compare, Richardson's rights are still attached to his rookie deal that carries a salary-cap hit of over $10M for the 2026 season. 

"Those contracts didn’t help him," one general manager told La Canfora about how Tagovailoa and Murray may have impacted the market for Richardson back in March. 

What's done is done, and Richardson seemingly doesn't have any choice but to show up for work with the Colts and attempt to prove that he has improved from what he was when he was a first-choice starter in the fall of 2024. Richardson playing well during preseason games could put him on the radars of some teams before Week 1 of the 2026 campaign arrives.