Dolphins? Jets? 5 potential landing spots for Colts QB Anthony Richardson

Dolphins? Jets? 5 potential landing spots for Colts QB Anthony Richardson originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

This wasn't how the Anthony Richardson era was supposed to go.

In another world, the 2023 No. 4 overall pick out of Florida is easily the Indianapolis Colts' QB1 and first long-term answer under center since Andrew Luck.

He had all the tools coming out of college: the speed, the arm strength, the physical frame, the big plays. However, he just hasn't put everything together.

Now entering the 2025 season, Richardson finds himself as QB2 again with ex-New York Giant Daniel Jones landing the starting job. Colts fans could've never envisioned that scenario on draft day.

It's not the first time the Colts benched Richardson for a more experienced option, either, as it happened last season with Joe Flacco for a brief period.

So, what's next for the Miami native? Would a trade benefit all parties? Or should Richardson battle it out for another season? Regardless of how it plays out, these five teams should poke around for a potential trade:

Pittsburgh Steelers

The teams that make the most sense for Richardson are either ones that have veteran quarterbacks who don't move the needle for a playoff push or ones that don't have a cornerstone locked down. The Steelers are led by Aaron Rodgers, who will be 42 years old in December. His backup is Mason Rudolph. Pittsburgh usually gets into the back end of the playoffs under Mike Tomlin, but a future QB1 is necessary.

New York Jets

The Jets hopes with Zach Wilson didn't pan out, and neither did the Rodgers experiment. But with new head coach Aaron Glenn in charge, New York will hope that taking a chance on Justin Fields pays off. But it's also just a two-year deal, so if Fields doesn't become a clear-cut star, then the Jets are back to square one. Tyrod Taylor is the backup, but he doesn't check the long-term box, either.

New Orleans Saints

Quarterback play across the league is at a down point, but no team has it worse than the Saints. New Orleans was spoiled with Drew Brees, but now they just haven't struck gold on a new option. Entering 2025, their top three options are rookie second-rounder Tyler Shough and a pair of second-year QBs in Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener. No matter how you rank the league's quarterback depth charts, New Orleans has to be last in all of them. A punt on Richardson - or even on Los Angeles Chargers backup Trey Lance - should definitely be considered.

Minnesota Vikings

Speaking of striking gold, Minnesota thought they had done so after Sam Darnold's one-year deal turned into an extraordinary playoff berth. But Darnold's limitations quickly cost the Vikings in the playoffs, so the Seattle Seahawks nabbed the veteran in free agency, while Minnesota had J.J. McCarthy returning from a season-long injury. But McCarthy will now have lofty expectations in his redshirt season as the Vikings hope to return to the postseason, though his college career didn't suggest he'd be a big-time passer. Sam Howell and Brett Rypien are Minnesota's backups.

Miami Dolphins

Yes, the Dolphins forked out a four-year, $212 million contract extension to Tua Tagovailoa last offseason. But given Tagovailoa's injury history and inability to perform against contending teams, it feels like the clock is ticking as to when Miami will need to acknowledge its mistake. Tagovailoa will turn 28 in March, and ex-Jet Wilson was brought in as a backup on a one-year, $6 million deal. But the 23-year-old Richardson may have more potential than both, provided they can get off Tagovailoa's contract if needed.