The New York Jets are trading quarterback Justin Fields to the Kansas City Chiefs. Could this trade mean anything to the Indianapolis Colts, who are willing to move on from Anthony Richardson?
In return for Fiels, the Jets are receiving a 2027 sixth-round draft pick. New York also has to eat $7 million of Fields’ $10 million base salary for the 2026 season.
Like Richardson, Fields is a former first-round pick, although he has quite a bit more experience. Fields has made 53 starts in his five NFL seasons, completing 61% of his throws at 6.8 yards per attempt with 52 touchdowns to 32 interceptions.
Richardson, meanwhile, has made just 15 career starts, while completing just 50.6% of his pass attempts with 11 touchdowns to 13 interceptions. He’s also rushed for 634 yards and 10 additional touchdowns.
However, Richardson is still just 23 years old, and the talent that he possesses is evident. Teams could be more willing to take a swing on the upside he possesses.
Richardson’s contract for 2026, the final year of his rookie deal, also isn’t as significant as Fields was with the Jets, which could help faciliate a trade. Here are the salary cap ramifications for the Colts in trading Richardson.
As we highlighted recently, there are several examples over the years of former first-round picks at quarterback being traded and what their former teams received in return.
The Fields trade may not be an apples-to-apples comparison for Richardson nor dictate how things play out, but it provides another data point for the Colts and any potential trade partner to reference.
ESPN recently reported that no trade is imminent at this time, but the Packers are a team to watch.
(This story was updated to add new information.)
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: Does Justin Fields’ trade impact Colts and Anthony Richardson?
Reporting by Paul Bretl, Colts Wire / Colts Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
