5 NFL Teams Who Should Be Trading for Anthony Richardson After Benching

The Indianapolis Colts raised eyebrows around the NFL when they announced Anthony Richardson would not be making the start against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 9.

The decision comes in the aftermath of one of the quarterback's worst performances to date.

He went 10-of-32 from 175 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

He also took five sacks, posted a QBR of 30.3 and drew attention for taking himself out of the game at one point because he was "tired." To be clear, it wasn't a good performance for Richardson, but it should have been expected based on his profile coming out of Florida.

The biggest knocks were that he was an inexperienced signal-caller who was going to need time to develop.

Benching him for a 39-year-old Joe Flacco is a puzzling decision.

The fact that Richardson told media that head coach Shane Steichen didn't explain why he was benched is all the more concerning.

Ultimately, this whole episode could be a small hiccup in the relationship between the team and the player.

However, it could also be the beginning of the end.

With the trade deadline coming up, there are a few teams in the league who would be wise to give the Colts a call to see if they'd be willing to deal the 22-year-old based on scheme, roster construction and draft assets.

Richardson is a physically talented quarterback with a bazooka for an arm and a willingness to push the ball downfield.

Jameis Winston took over at the same position for the Cleveland Browns last week and unlocked the offense with 334 passing yards and three touchdowns in his debut as starter.

The Browns are in a unique position at quarterback.

Deshaun Watson has floundered as the starter, but his contract is a financial millstone that Cleveland is going to be forced to wear whether he plays or not.

He'll be recovering from a ruptured Achilles next season and it isn't hard to see the Browns either making him a post-June 1 cut or attempting to find a buyer on the trade market.

Either way, they might just be ready to move on next season.

If that's the case, they are going to face the challenge of finding a cheap starting QB.

The most obvious answer is to draft one, but there's a case to be made that a young Richardson with just 10 NFL starts still has a higher ceiling than some of the prospects in the 2024 draft class.

His big arm could be honed in the version of the offense head coach Kevin Stefanski ran before Watson came to town.

Putting him under center and allowing him to launch deep balls off of play-action could be a way to cut down on his decision-making burden and develop him as a passer.

The Raiders are one of the most disappointing teams thus far in 2024.

After a 2-6 start in Antonio Pierce's first season as head coach, the biggest thing the Silver and Black need right now is hope.

Gardner Minshew II isn't offering much.

The Raiders signed him as the "safe" option at quarterback to compete against Aidan O'Connell.

Minshew had some magic left when he served as Richardson's backup in Indianapolis, but it hasn't transferred to Vegas.

The Raiders are hard-pressed to turn things over to O'Connell.

He's done some good things in his brief time in the league, but his lack of arm strength or mobility makes it an uphill battle for him to ever become a franchise quarterback.

Richardson has those things in spades.

The Raiders are 25th in EPA per rush , and Minshew is 31st in intended air yards per pass attempt.

For all of his faults, there's no doubt Richardson's rushing ability would have an impact on the Raiders' ability to run the ball.

His arm would also open up more downfield passing concepts.

The ideal offense for Richardson has to lean heavily into the run.

The Raiders have struggled to run the ball, but they could build a really interesting offense around his running ability and the tight end tandem of Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer.

Pierce needs a spark after a terrible start to his head coaching stint with the Raiders.

Trading for someone with a much higher ceiling than anyone they have on the roster could do the trick.

This one is another long shot, but it would be worth consideration.

Eventually, Matthew Stafford is going to have to retire.

The 36-year-old has been sacked 491 times in his career, the Rams have probably exited their Super Bowl window and ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported earlier this year that they are viewing Stafford as a "year-to-year proposition." One thing that has made the partnership of Stafford and Sean McVay fun is the signal-caller's willingness to use his ridiculous arm to take shots downfield.

He has never been afraid to rip deep shots when the opportunity arises, but he's played within McVay's system to drive some really good offenses.

The Rams don't really have a high-ceiling backup right now.

Stetson Bennett is definitely not the answer, and Jimmy Garoppolo had his shot at being a starter.

Richardson is a player who needs coaching and mentorship.

Shane Steichen has proved himself to be a good play-caller and offensive mind, but it's fair to wonder what impact the decision to bench him in the middle of the season will have on their relationship.

Putting Richardson with McVay and Stafford could be a win-win situation.

For the Colts, they would add at least one draft pick to help them pick another quarterback in the spring.

For the Rams, they would be getting a top-five pick who is just 22 years old.

The Rams are too good at this point to finish with a bottom-five record in the league.

This might be the cheapest way for them to acquire a quarterback who could eventually pick up the torch after Stafford.

The Miami Dolphins are in a precarious position when it comes to quarterbacks.

Tua Tagovailoa made a successful return to the lineup after suffering a concussion earlier in the season, but the Dolphins should still be uneasy about moving forward with him as the only option at the position.

In a financial sense, they are tied to the 26-year-old.

He signed a four-year, $212 million contract this offseason.

But his history of concussions and the fact that he had to sit out four games for his latest concussion this season should be concerning for Miami moving forward.

Richardson's struggles with accuracy on easy throws make him a questionable fit.

Tagovailoa's accuracy is one of the reasons he does so well in Mike McDaniel's system.

However, the roster construction and his ability to throw the deep ball to both Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle could overcome some of his shortcomings.

The possibility of utilizing Richardson's elite athleticism on designed boot runs off of Miami's vaunted zone-rushing attack would also make defensive coordinators sweat.

However, the Dolphins would be unlikely to put together an offer for the Colts.

It could create an awkward rift between Tagovailoa and the franchise.

But the possibility of getting a high-potential backup for the Alabama product if he suffers another injury would be worth the consideration.

The absolute best-case scenario for Anthony Richardson is that he experiences a career arc like Josh Allen.

The Buffalo Bills QB came into the league as an unfinished product who struggled with accuracy and put out a low completion rate.

The first 10 games of their NFL careers even produced similar stats .

That isn't to say Richardson will eventually become Allen, but one man who knows how it happened is Brian Daboll.

The former Bills offensive coordinator oversaw a lot of that early career progression and is now trying to do the same thing as head coach of the New York Giants.

The only problem is that Daniel Jones is no longer on his rookie contract, and the Giants could get out of his current deal next offseason with a $22.2 million dead cap charge.

They are sitting at 2-6 and are a prime candidate to draft a quarterback in the spring.

The problem for Daboll is that he might not be around to pick the next passer if things continue to go south in New York.

Perhaps making a move for Richardson and showing some growth by the end of the season would be a way to stave off the hot seat.

Both the coach and the quarterback could use the fresh start..

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