The Denver Broncos might have another former first-round QB they could rescue after some major news out of the AFC South on Tuesday. If you did not see, the Indianapolis Colts named Daniel Jones their starting QB for the 2025 NFL Season.
This means that 2023 first-round pick Anthony Richardson is now a backup and probably put a dagger in his chances to start in the NFL for the Colts. Richardson was likely never going to pan out given how bad of a college QB he was and how raw he was coming into the NFL.
And it's clear that if there was any chance of him developing, Indy was not willing to wait it out. Well, with Richardson now the backup, could the Denver Broncos do something clever here?
The Denver Broncos should trade for Anthony Richardson after losing QB battle to Daniel Jones
The Denver Broncos obviously want to be a QB factory. Last offseason, they traded for a former first-round pick in Zach Wilson who was on the New York Jets. Denver had Wilson as their QB3 for the entire season, and he departed in free agency this offseason for the Miami Dolphins.
Richardson would be under contract through the 2026 NFL Season, so Denver would have two more years of team control. If nothing else, Denver could get itself someone who might have a legitimate chance at developing into a decent backup, and his athleticism alone would be enough to take a shot.
Denver would have to figure out what to do with Sam Ehlinger most likely, but this could be a fun side project for the Broncos' coaches to undertake. Furthermore, Richardson could be someone the Broncos deploy in certain packages on offense, perhaps closer to the goal line.
There is always some sort of appeal with the hyper-athletic quarterbacks, and Denver just doesn't have someone like that on their roster, so pursuing a trade here could be quite fun.