Anthony Richardson, Colts
Getty
Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson
Head coach Todd Monken has been adamant that all options are on the table for the Cleveland Browns at the quarterback position, and a new and intriguing one just fell into their lap.
The Indianapolis Colts are allowing former No. 4 overall pick Anthony Richardson to seek a trade ahead of the final year of his $34 million rookie deal, according to Stephen Holder of ESPN, and Cleveland has perhaps the worst quarterback situation in the NFL heading into the new league year on March 11.
Shedeur Sanders has captured the interest of a sizable portion of the Browns’ fanbase, but his hard numbers from eight appearances and seven starts during his rookie campaign don’t bode well for his longterm prospects — particularly on a rebuilding offense that could start as many as five new linemen in 2026 and doesn’t have much talent in the wide receivers room beyond an inconsistent starter in Jerry Jeudy.
“Some might clamor to give Shedeur Sanders more development time, but I think that would be a mistake,” Seth Walder of ESPN wrote on Wednesday, February 25. “A fifth-round pick whose 18.9 QBR would have been by far the worst in the league had he played enough to qualify ought to be considered the longest of shots, so the Browns should be pursuing other quarterback options.”
Anthony Richardson Deal Less Expensive Than Kyler Murray Trade
Kyler Murray
GettyQuarterback Kyler Murray of the Arizona Cardinals.
Walder predicted that the Browns will ultimately trade for Kyler Murray, and that the longtime Arizona Cardinals signal-caller will start the season for Cleveland over Sanders and Deshaun Watson.
But Murray is a considerably more expensive player than Richardson with three years, including team option in 2028, remaining on his $230.5 million contract — even despite the fact that Cleveland’s financial commitment to Murray doesn’t have to go beyond next season, when the team could release him absent an onerous financial penalty.
The Cardinals might even entertain a trade centered around a pick swap that accomplishes as little as bumping up one of their draft selections a couple of rounds on Day 2 or Day 3 just to get off Murray’s contract and move on to a new quarterback era.
Even in that case, however, Richardson comes cheaper and has more potentially untapped upside.
Anthony Richardson Trade Less Risky, Shorter Commitment Than Malik Willis Signing
Malik Willis
GettyGreen Bay Packers quarterback Malik Willis.
Richardson will play next season at 25 and has top-line arm and leg talent as a true dual-threat QB, which is why the Colts picked him in the top five despite just 13 starts in college.
His trade price is likely a mid-round pick and his base salary plus a roster bonus in the spring tally in the neighborhood of $5.4 million.
Richardson’s skill set and play style are closer to Lamar Jackson, who Monken coached for the last three years as offensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens, than Sanders or Watson or even Murray.
Free agent Malik Willis also plays similarly to Jackson and has put together better tape over the past two years as Jordan Love’s backup QB with the Green Bay Packers than Richardson has over three seasons in Indy. But Willis is at the top of the free-agent market and likely to haul in $30-$35 million annually on a multiyear contract despite just six career starts.
Going after Willis in free agency is a bigger gamble than dealing a middling pick for Richardson, and it would also essentially lock the Browns into starting him in 2026 absent an injury. That would undercut the message Monken has sent since getting the job in Cleveland that the players will decide who plays by how they perform on the field, not their contracts or the coaching staff.
It might also alienate some of the fanbase that wants Sanders to get a fair shake this offseason to win the QB1 spot — an outcome that is more likely and will at least appear more fair if he’s competing against Watson and Richardson than if he has to dethrone Willis, who has fewer career starts than Sanders, coming in on a big contract.