NFL Trade Rumors: Colts make decision on Anthony Richardson's future after Week 8 controversy
The Indianapolis Colts made waves in the National Football League in the build-up to Week 9. The NFL world disapproved of second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson's decision after he tapped his helmet and asked to be withdrawn from the game against the Houston Texans last Sunday.
Colts coach Shane Steichen decided he meant business, benching Richardson in favor of veteran quarterback Joe Flacco. Per ESPN researcher Evan Kaplan, from 2000-2022, 66 quarterbacks were selected in the first round of the NFL draft, and 25 of those were benched while on their rookie contract. Only Mitch Trubisky managed to crawl out of that hole.
The Colts' decision to bench Richardson for the foreseeable future raised more than a few eyebrows. Still, with the trade deadline approaching, a few teams also reached out to Indy in the hopes of trading for the former Florida gunslinger. However, NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported ahead of Week 9's kickoff that the Colts have no plans to trade their young quarterback.
"Several teams I spoke to still view Richardson as a franchise-caliber quarterback, and view Indy pulling the plug on him after 10 regular season starts as 'premature,'" Schultz reported.
NFL world outraged over Anthony Richardson's Week 8 stunt
Anthony Richardson was often compared to Cam Newton in the build-up to the 2023 NFL draft, but the former NFL MVP did not take too kindly to the Colts QB calling it quits in Week 8.
On his "4th and 1" show, Newton gave his candid take on Richardson asking to be subbed out.
“It’s not fair. When I’m looking at a stat line that says you went 10 for 32 for 175 yards, one touchdown and an egregious touchdown. Bro, what the f**k. You can’t do that. That’s why you see a guy like Lamar Jackson get his flowers," Newton said.
"Because what he does isn’t easy. You took the easy route out when you tapped your head and said ‘Damn, bro, I’m tired.’ What the f—k, you’re a professional. You don’t get to say that s—t. That’s the easy way.”
Two-time Super Bowl champion Damien Woody also had his say, suggesting Richardson must be "grossly out of shape" to ask to be pulled out of a game.
“I can’t even wrap my mind around the fact that you’re asking out of a game,” Woody said on ESPN's Get Up. “You must be grossly out of shape or something else must be going. But I didn’t have the luxury as an offensive lineman to tap my helmet to get out of the game. What the hell was that?”
It appears more than a few teams require a quarterback to build around, with the Las Vegas Raiders a primary target. However, the Colts seem to be playing hardball over Richardson despite choosing to bench him for the rest of the year.