With his stardom falling, a former first-rounder could be heading out of town with the Cleveland Browns being a top option. Teams draft quarterbacks based on their skills and their respective ceilings — few passers just walk into a situation where they succeed immediately.
Remember, Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts played a combined five games during their first season, going 2-3 in the process. As a result, some teams will prefer to ease a player in and hope the toe-in-the-water approach helps them over the long haul. Yet, it becomes the young quarterback’s mission to learn and improve.
Indianapolis Colts QB Anthony Richardson Projected to Leave Via Trade to the Cleveland Browns
Few quarterbacks can match Indianapolis QB Anthony Richardson’s talent palette from a physical trait standpoint. Standing 6’4″ and weighing 244 pounds, the former Florida Gator can run with some of the game’s fastest wideouts.
As a thrower, his arm aligns with some of the best players in the game. As such, with the Colts sporting a 2-0 record, Richardson’s play could see him leave town. One of the possible spots could be the Browns. According to PFSN writer Tim Crean, Cleveland makes sense.
“Now, Watson has likely thrown his last pass for the team. Flacco is 40, [Kenny] Pickett and [Tyler] Huntley are gone, and neither [Dillon] Gabriel nor [Shedeur] Sanders is as young or at the same prospect level as Richardson,” he writes.
“The Browns don’t need another quarterback on the roster right now, but there’s also a good chance they don’t have a franchise one in the building despite the sheer number of players at the position. At this point, why not try Richardson if the price is right?” Crean continues.
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As mentioned, Richardson does possess the attributes to become a franchise quarterback. However, there is one glaring drawback. The former first-rounder is inaccurate. So far, he has lacked the touch and awareness to adjust the passes to his targets, depending on route depth and defender proximity.
For example, you will see the ball float over a wideout in a timing route like a drag pattern, or running backs in a flare pattern will receive something akin to a bullet pass. The best quarterbacks can throttle the velocity and height on most throws. When fans use a player’s name as a negative comparison, that may not bode well.
Sellers is who people thought Anthony Richardson was.
— Vulnerable Vitality 🇵🇸 (@VulnVit) September 21, 2025
“Sellers is who people thought Anthony Richardson was,” this tweet reads, showing the difference in passing between South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers to Richardson.
Cleveland is an interesting choice for Richardson. The Browns spent a lot of money and drafted capital for the defense. Yet, they applied a thriftier approach to the offense. Only Deshaun Watson’s contract could be considered lucrative from an NFL quarterback standpoint.
Would they take a chance on a quarterback with serious physical upside but neither the accuracy (50.6% completion rate) nor the health history (15 starts in a possible 36 games)? With two first-round selections next year, the front office could conceivably make the deal and use the picks on offensive skill position players.
With that said, what would the Colts ask for in return?
