The Green Bay Packers filled several needs during the NFL draft, but one need that was left untouched was their backup quarterback situation. Outside of UDFA pickup Kyron Drones, the Packers didn’t make a meaningful addition to the quarterback room. While they could let Desmond Ridder and Kyle McCord battle into the summer, many feel like it’s just a matter of time until they trade for Anthony Richardson.
Richardson’s time with the Colts appears to be coming to an end, and the Packers have been connected to him as a potential trade partner. But while Richardson could follow the Malik Willis blueprint to solve Green Bay’s backup quarterback questions, his rookie contract may be the reason why they haven’t traded for him yet, as hinted by The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman.
“The Packers haven’t signed a veteran quarterback and didn’t draft one,” Schneidman wrote. “General manager Brian Gutekunst said last month that he’s “very high” on Ridder and McCord, so we’ll see if one of them can seize the job or if the Packers seek outside help as they did in acquiring Malik Willis after an underwhelming camp battle between Sean Clifford and Michael Pratt in 2024. The veteran free-agent options consist of Tyrod Taylor, Joshua Dobbs and Cooper Rush, so would the Packers trade for someone if Ridder and McCord disappoint? Anthony Richardson and his first-round contract, anyone?”
Anthony Richardson’s Contract Could Be Holding Up Potential Trade to Packers
The No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 draft by the Indianapolis Colts, Richardson carries a $10.8 million cap hit into next season, per Over The Cap. While he carries a fifth-year option for 2027, there’s virtually no chance it will be picked up after Indianapolis signed Daniel Jones to a two-year, $88 million contract extension that can reach $100 million in incentives this spring.
Pegging Richardson as “The Next Malik Willis” makes sense. But Willis came to Green Bay at a much lower cost. A third-round pick by the Titans in the 2022 draft, Willis carried a cap hit of $985,000 when the Packers acquired him for a 2025 seventh-round pick shortly before the 2024 season, per Over The Cap. After playing well in place of Love in that season, he still cost Green Bay only $1.4 million when he replaced Love for two more games during the 2025 campaign.
That cheap salary becomes a cheat code for roster construction as teams invest heavily at the backup quarterback position. Jacoby Brissett ($6.25 million per season), Marcus Mariota ($8 million), and Zach Wilson ($6 million) were among the backup quarterbacks who cashed in during the 2025 free agent period. That trend has continued with Mariota ($7 million), Joe Flacco ($6 million), and Gardner Minshew ($5.75 million) among the backup signal-callers signing lucrative deals this spring.
With teams spending less than Richardson’s current cap hit for their backups, the Packers don’t want to be caught spending more than they have to – especially when they already have Love in place as their franchise quarterback. But while they could wait out the Colts potentially releasing Richardson, that also brings on the risk of another team jumping in front of them to make a deal, for one reason or another.
Packers’ Pursuit of Anthony Richardson is Now a Game of Chicken
Of course, this may have little interest to Packers fans who want a solid backup to Jordan Love. Ridder is a failed starter during his time with the Atlanta Falcons and spent the 2025 season with three different teams, including a training camp stint with the Cincinnati Bengals and another on the Minnesota Vikings practice squad before landing in Green Bay last December.
McCord also doesn’t do much to inspire confidence. A sixth-round pick by the Philadelphia Eagles in last year’s draft, the Syracuse product struggled in the preseason, completing 24-of-56 passes (42.9 percent) for 191 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. The rough preseason left him spending his entire rookie season on the Eagles’ practice squad, and led him to Green Bay when Philadelphia declined to offer him a futures contract at the end of the year.
Those resumes make Packers fans believe that any roster battle between the two will be a waste of time. With Indianapolis clearly over its experiment with Richardson, they could also see a trade for Richardson to become Matt LaFleur’s developmental project behind Love.
While Richardson makes sense for the Packers, a potential trade is more about dollars and cents. It creates a game of “chicken” between the Packers and the Colts for Richardson’s services, and the winner could be decided by who blinks first.
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