Raiders Warned Against Swinging Blockbuster Trade for Enticing QB
Though he only had two seasons to prove himself, Anthony Richardson's time with the Indianapolis Colts appears to be over. He lost the starting job to Daniel Jones, and head coach Shane Steichen made it clear that it's a long-term decision.
With Richardson on the outs in Indianapolis, there should be no shortage of teams willing to give him a chance. One team that has been mentioned as a fit for Richardson is the Las Vegas Raiders.
Why Richardson Could Make Sense for Raiders
Richardson was always supposed to be a project. He didn't play many games in college, but teams were willing to gamble on his elite athletic traits. He's 6-foot-4, 245 pounds and runs a 4.43 40-yard dash. He also has a massive arm.
There's also the fact that Richardson is just 23. He's younger than 2025 No. 1 pick Cam Ward by three days. There's still plenty of time for him to develop into a capable quarterback, but a team has to be patient with him.
On the surface, the Raiders make sense for him. He'd be able to play behind Geno Smith for a year or two while being coached up by Chip Kelly, who has a lot of experience working with dual-threat quarterbacks.
However, not everybody is on board with the idea of Richardson going to Las Vegas.
Raiders Warned Against Trade for Richardson
Richardson's athletic traits are tantalizing, but he's also been working under a strong offensive mind in Steichen. It's possible that he just doesn't have the ability to be an accurate quarterback.
Q Myers of the "Locked on Raiders" podcast made the case against Las Vegas pursuing Richardson.
“If in fact [the Colts] do trade for him, or they make him available, I just don’t see it, and I don’t think it’s a good decision for the Raiders,” Myers said. “He still has not developed into an accurate quarterback. He still does not have that much experience.”
Richardson is certainly talented, but not every athletically gifted player has what it takes to be a quarterback in the NFL.
“I don’t think that he’s ever going to be a franchise quarterback,” Myers added. “I hate that for him. I don’t root for anyone to lose. I just don’t see the mechanics. I don’t see the development.”
“And worst-case scenario, I don’t see the availability. He’s just not available. And a lot of times, even his rookie year, when he only played four games, that’s because he tried to run and tried to run guys over like he did at Florida. You can’t do that in the National Football League.”
