he Indianapolis Colts were uneasy about entering the 2025-26 season with former fourth overall pick Anthony Richardson.
The team signed former New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones and drafted Riley Leonard out of Notre Dame in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft for depth at quarterback.
Even with the additions, the team could still find themselves trading for a starting quarterback.
Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski named the Colts as a landing spot if the Atlanta Falcons were to trade away Kirk Cousins.
“The clock is ticking in Indianapolis for multiple people within the Colts organization. And any interest in Cousins comes with an asterisk based on how quickly general manager Chris Ballard and head coach Shane Steichen lose patience with Anthony Richardson,” Sobleski wrote for B/R. “Injuries and questions about maturity led to the 23-year-old missing multiple games through his first two seasons.”
“The Colts knew something needed to be done. Ballard was open about bringing in competition, and he did so by signing free-agent Daniel Jones… Would they rather have Jones or Cousins trying to save their jobs? The answer seems obvious, even if Indianapolis needs to take on a chunk of the latter’s contract and likely surrender a future asset in return.”
In his first season in the Peach State, Cousins threw 3508 yards and 18 touchdowns in 14 games, but led the league in interceptions with 16.
Falcons May Have Kirk Cousins’ Replacement
GettyAtlanta Falcons QB Michael Penix, Jr.
Though the Atlanta Falcons signed Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract in the 2024 NFL Free Agency, the Falcons drafted a QB in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Cousins felt “misled” when Atlanta took Michael Penix Jr. out of Washington as a potential replacement, the same year he signed with the team.
Penix saw action in five games as a rookie, starting in three, throwing for 775 yards and five touchdowns.
Cousins will be 37 years old by the time the next season starts, with Penix Jr. turning 26 next offseason.
The Falcons see the former Washington Husky as the future of the team, with Penix seeming ready for the role.
“I feel like I’ve done a lot better with connecting with everybody around the team. Not just offensive guys but defensive guys as well. Whether that’s just around the facility eating lunch or going out and playing golf with some of them,” Penix said, via NFL.
Colts’ Anthony Richardson’s Shoulder Issue
GettyIndianapolis Colts QB Anthony Richardson.
Colts third-year quarterback Anthony Richardson injured his throwing shoulder during minicamp, the same shoulder that forced the QB to end his rookie season early.
The injury kept Richardson out the rest of minicamp, with Jones taking the majority of the first-team snaps.
Reinjuring the same shoulder is a concern for teams and this may force the Colts to make a trade depending on how Richardson performs during training camp.
As Sobleski mentioned, Indianapolis would have to eat up Kirk Cousins’ contract if a trade were to occur. According to Over the Cap, Cousins will have a $40 million cap hit in the 2025-26 season.
Indy currently has slightly over $20 million in cap space and will have almost $59 million for next season.