Vikings Linked to High Profile QB Trade
Anthony Richardson lost the battle. At least for now.
The Vikings have been named as a possible trade destination for a high-profile quarterback, fueling speculation about what a trade would look like.
The Indianapolis Colts’ 23-year-old quarterback fought tooth and nail this summer to earn a QB1 job, losing the competition to Minnesota Vikings passer Daniel Jones.
The devolution for Richardson is so brutal that NFL media is already speculating about his next team, and wouldn’t you know it? The Vikings made the cut as a possible post-Indianapolis destination.
Anthony Richardson Will Eventually Need a Change of Scenery
Some think the Vikings could do wonders for him.
Vikings Named a Landing Spot for Anthony Richardson
Soon after the Colts named Jones, not Richardson, the starter in 2025, theories about Richardson’s future took center stage.
Fansided even put together a list of Richardson’s options for future employment, and Minnesota made the cut. Cody Williams opined on J.J. McCarthy as Minnesota’s 2025 QB1 and the possibility of Richardson as the backup in the near future.
He wrote, “The tools are there and I would trust anyone with that type of talent in Kevin O’Connell’s tutelage. Hell, look what he just did with Sam Darnold last season! Therein lies a big problem for the 2025 Vikings when you look back at last year. The Vikings still went on to compete for an NFC North title and comfortably make the playoffs in spite of McCarthy’s season-ending injury in the preseason because they had a high-upside backup.”
“Darnold was in place as the contingency plan, but now that plan behind McCarthy is either Sam Howell, Brett Rypien or Max Brosmer. That’s not exactly the same. And it’s also worth noting that Minnesota furthered that vision by picking up, incidentally, Daniel Jones for the back half of last season.”
Richardson may not be imminently on the chopping block, but next offseason might be a different story.
Williams added, “Is Richardson as seasoned as Darnold or even Jones? Absolutely not. At the same time, if there’s a head coach and offensive mind that I do believe could get that to work, it would absolutely be O’Connell and this Vikings staff.”
“He offers substantially more upside than Howell or any quarterback currently on the roster, and to help protect that, Minnesota should explore upgrading the QB room behind McCarthy with such a trade.”
Pairing Richardson with the Quarterback Whisperer
Minnesota employs Kevin O’Connell as its head coach, after his work with Kirk Cousins, Joshua Dobbs, Nick Mullens, and Sam Darnold over the last three seasons, he’s earned the reputation of a quarterback guru. That is — the man can allegedly fix anybody.
Well, Richardson would probably live at the top of the list for passers who need the Midas touch, making Richardson to Minnesota more believable.
Too, O’Connell seems to fancy a revolving door for backup quarterbacks, so it wouldn’t be weird one bit for Richardson to eventually receive a QB2 invitation.
How Soon and the Role?
The timing is the debatable aspect.
It seems unlikely for the Colts to totally mail it in on Richardson after two seasons, trusting the entire enterprise in the hands of Daniel Jones, who’s not a stellar quarterback in the first place.
In fact, Jones could be benched sometime in 2025, paving the way for one last hurrah from Richardson to prove his mettle.
In Minnesota — probably in 2026 — Richardson would fold in as the QB2, one snap away from the starting lineup if an injury caused McCarthy to miss time.
The 2025 QB2 Situation
At the moment, the Vikings showcase a shaky QB2 room. Sam Howell owns the job but has experienced ups and downs since the start of training camp. Brett Rypien is also on the roster; he could be closer to a QB3 type.
And Minnesota has put undrafted rookie Max Brosmer on display in two preseason games. He’s played brilliantly, yet preseason flair doesn’t always translate to regular season success.
So, yes, Minnesota could use a little Richardson right now — if the Colts are willing to sell as early as this summer.
Steelers Named Top Destination for Richardson
Williams called the Steelers the best spot for Richardson and explained: “That’s certainly not a guarantee for the Steelers to get the best out of Richardson and for the uber athletic signal-caller to be at the helm of the offense for the next decade-plus.”
“At the same time, the Steelers are probably going to be just good enough to be out of range for the top quarterbacks in the draft (again), which frankly makes a pursuit of Richardson the most obvious possible solution at the position for this franchise, and the ability to get out of it after the 2026 season if it doesn’t work out.”
Richardson could quite realistically become a Vikings’ QB2 target, but expect it as a 2026 talker, not something immediate.
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