The Green Bay Packers have been taking their time in addressing the backup quarterback spot behind Jordan Love following Malik Willis’ departure.
There were a few options available for the Packers when free agency opened last week, such as Trey Lance, Mitchell Trubisky, Kenny Pickett, and Marcus Mariota. Unfortunately, those quarterbacks (and others) have since found new homes, limiting Green Bay's options.
With that being said, general manager Brian Gutekunst might want to consider a trade as the most feasible way to address his team's QB2 needs.
Indianapolis Colts QB Anthony Richardson, who is reportedly available, is the perfect candidate for Green Bay. While ESPN’s Stephen Holder reported that a deal is not imminent for Richardson last week, he added that Green Bay is a team to monitor.
With that being said, the Packers may want to move quickly on a potential Richardson deal after seeing a former first-round QB get traded on Monday.
Justin Fields Trade Should Push Packers to Move Faster on Anthony Richardson Deal
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the New York Jets are trading former Chicago Bears QB Justin Fields to the Kansas City Chiefs, “pending a physical.” Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic adds that the Jets are getting a 2027 sixth-round selection in return for Fields and eating most of the salary left on his deal.
The Chiefs are in the same position as the Packers, as they need a competent QB2 after seeing Gardner Minshew sign a one-year deal in free agency. The current QBs on their roster, other than Patrick Mahomes, are Chris Oladokun and Jake Haener.
One could argue that Oladokun and Haener are in the same tier of quarterbacks as Desmond Ridder and Kyle McCord. The only difference is that Mahomes is coming off a season-ending knee injury, which could affect his start time. The Packers don’t have to worry about that with Love.
However, that shouldn’t mean that the Packers should continue to kick the can down the road on their QB2 pursuit. With Fields off the board, teams that were interested in him will now turn their attention to Richardson.
Richardson is still on his rookie-year deal and offers a ton of upside to a team like Green Bay, which had success in changing the trajectory of Willis’ career. Richardson has a $10.8 million cap hit for the 2026 season, per Spotrac, and a club option in 2027, which the Colts haven’t picked up.
If the Packers were to trade for Richardson, they likely wouldn’t pick up that option, which has a $22.5 million cap hit. This means Richardson could hit free agency if things didn’t work, or the Packers would be able to re-sign him to a more team-friendly deal.
Knowing that most teams likely won’t pick up Richardson’s club option, plus his inconsistencies under center, it could soften the asking price.
The Packers currently have five selections in next month’s draft between Rounds 4-7 to use in a deal for Richardson, and that could entice the Colts, who likely want to get an immediate return on investment.
It will be interesting to see whether Richardson is the next domino to fall, and whether the Packers will be the cause as they continue to watch potential QB2 candidates find their next homes.