Anthony Richardson Sr. wants out of Indianapolis, as he requested a trade in February, and the Colts granted him permission to seek a new home. Three months later, no deal has materialized, and the former fourth overall pick has reported to voluntary workouts.
He is practicing with the team, but he hasn’t rescinded his trade request, and general manager Chris Ballard has acknowledged the situation remains fluid. Richardson could still be on the move if a team makes a reasonable offer, and Fox Sports NFL reporter Greg Auman believes the Detroit Lions should be that team.
Why Detroit Makes Sense for Anthony Richardson Sr.
The Lions entered the offseason without a long-term backup plan behind Jared Goff. They did sign veteran Teddy Bridgewater for a third stint with the franchise, bringing back a familiar face who has built strong relationships with coach Dan Campbell from their time together in New Orleans.
Bridgewater, 33, is a reliable locker room presence, but he doesn’t offer developmental upside. That’s where Richardson could fill a gap, and Auman named the Lions as his top landing spot for the Colts quarterback.
“A team acquiring Richardson would have to pay him a $4 million roster bonus in July, but if you don’t have a long-term answer at the position and don’t see yourself landing a high draft pick in 2027, he’d be an inexpensive option to look at and even re-sign inexpensively when he becomes a free agent in March,” Auman wrote.
“He’s in a similar boat to Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis, pushed out by the team that drafted him and in the final year of his rookie contract, available for pennies on the dollar compared to his original draft value,” he continued,”[Detroit Lions] could use a developmental backup with Teddy Bridgewater as QB.”
Richardson’s numbers don’t jump off the page because he has a 50.6% career completion rate, 21 total touchdowns against 13 interceptions, and has played just 17 games across three injury-plagued seasons. Richardson has been eligible for ranking on PFSN’s QB Metric only once in his career, in 2024, when he ranked 25th in the league with an impact score of 72.6. However, the raw talent has never been in question.
Under the right coaching staff and with reduced pressure, Richardson arguably has a higher ceiling than most backup quarterbacks in the league. Detroit wouldn’t need him to start, and that lack of urgency in a new environment could be exactly what his development requires.
The Lions could either refine his game and flip him for better draft capital down the road, or simply carry a young, physically gifted quarterback behind Goff as insurance.
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The NFC North is home to Jordan Love and Caleb Williams, two of the most dynamic young quarterbacks in football. The idea that Richardson could eventually give Detroit its own franchise-altering talent at the position is admittedly far-fetched, but stranger things have happened in football.
At a minimum, he would represent a significant upgrade over Detroit’s current backup situation and a low-risk investment with considerable upside.
