Chris Ballard: Anthony Richardson will be a Colt this year

Published September 1, 2026 01:07 PM Back in February, Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson requested a trade. When nothing materialized, Richardson reported to the offseason program and has been competing to be the team’s backup behind Daniel Jones with Riley Leonard. Richardson’s feelings may or may not have changed. But at this point, the Colts do not intend to trade him. “He is going to be an Indianapolis Colt this year,” General Manager Chris Ballard said in his Tuesday press conference. Richardson, 24, has continued to make strides in his development, Ballard said. “We forget how young he is sometimes. Really proud of his growth,” Ballard said. “ There were two times in camp where I thought, OK, he’s starting to really show some poise. So the two-minute against New England, we’re backed up, I think it was 38 seconds left on the clock. Gets us in field-goal range to give us a chance to get points. And then during the Atlanta scrimmage, he had a tremendous two-minute [drive] also.“So, it’s been fun to watch Anthony’s growth.”Ballard did not declare whether or not Richardson, the No. 4 overall pick of the 2023 draft. will serve as the backup, deferring to head coach Shane Steichen. But when it comes to Richardson’s status with the team at large, Steichen said the quarterback is “in a good spot.”“He’s a phenomenal teammate — and I don’t use that word lightly,” Ballard said. “Like, he is a great teammate. He likes to be around the team. He likes being part of the team. There’s never been a point — even going back into last year when he didn’t win the job — there’s not been one point where I’ve seen him hang his head and get salty. He’s a phenomenal teammate.”