The Colts are officially rolling the dice with Anthony Richardson for the 2026 season, keeping the fourth-year quarterback despite failing to find a trade partner. It feels like the whole league is full of wild gambles right now, especially after our Seahawks just dropped a tough 17-7 game to the Dallas Cowboys at Lumen Field.
Dodds Drops the Bombshell
Colts assistant G.M. Ed Dodds spilled the beans on Sunday, suggesting the team is absolutely keeping Richardson around. This guy, the fourth overall pick in 2023, is heading into the last year of his guaranteed rookie deal. No trade partner? No problem, apparently. Dodds flat out said, “I think you take care of your own team first. We want to have three [quarterbacks] that can play. So, if [Richardson] is one of them, he’s going to be here. . . . Look at last year. You never know.”
He’s not wrong about that “you never know” part, is he? Last year was a total mess for them, a real QB carousel nightmare. Their starter, Daniel Jones, went down with a torn Achilles. And Richardson? He wasn’t even available, sidelined in a wild turn of events. Get this, he fractured an orbital bone in some freak locker-room accident involving an exercise band. Seriously, you can’t make this stuff up! What a nightmare! It got so bad they had to literally cajole Philip Rivers to come out of retirement after *four seasons* just to finish the year because some rookie, Riley Leonard, wasn’t ready to lead the charge. That’s not just desperate, that’s a complete collapse at the position, and Dodds, clearly, remembers every painful detail.
The Cheap Gamble
So, given that chaos, why keep a guy who’s been through all that drama and injury? Money, baby. Pure and simple. Richardson already snagged a sweet $4.24 million training-camp roster bonus, securing some coin. And for 2026, his guaranteed base salary is a measly $1.145 million. That’s practically pocket change for a quarterback in this league, especially one with his draft pedigree, right? The source nails it, calling it “very cheap, as quarterbacks go.”
For that kind of price tag, it’s almost a no-brainer for the Colts to roll the dice. They obviously need depth, a reliable backup, or even a shot at a starter if things go sideways again. Why risk letting him walk for so little? If he gets a chance to play, he’s got every reason to deliver a monster season. This is his final guaranteed year, a huge audition for his next contract. He has to show up, or his future paycheck is definitely in jeopardy. It’s a classic low-risk, potentially high-reward play for them, but still, that bizarre injury history has to make you nervous about relying on him.
A Rough Start for Our Hawks
While Indy sorts out their quarterback puzzle, our immediate focus here in the Emerald City is on the rough start for our Hawks. That 17-7 loss to the Dallas Cowboys? Man, that stings, a real gut punch to kick off the season. It’s early, yeah, but every single game sets the tone and builds momentum. Giving up that kind of ground, especially at Lumen Field, is something the 12s definitely felt. We expect more, you know?
We know Mike Macdonald is bringing a new intensity, and Brian Fleury is cooking up plays, but dropping a game like that early on means there’s serious work to do. We need Sam Darnold to rally the offense, and for playmakers like Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Rashid Shaheed, and Cooper Kupp to connect and bring that electric fire we know they have. This team has fight, and we need to see it next week. That kind of performance against Dallas simply won’t cut it. We gotta bounce back, immediately, and show the league what our Seahawks are really made of, because this season is just getting started!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Pro Football Talk.
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