It has been nearly 10 months since Anthony Richardson had an orbital fracture in his right eye, since he last threw a pass on the gridiron, and 6 months since he dropped that trade request in February. His eye is fully healed now, but his future with the Indianapolis Colts remains as foggy as ever.

Richardson was asked for an update on his trade request in a recent Colts training camp presser. His answer made it clear that there hasn’t been any real progress in that regard.

“I haven’t really even talked to my agent about that recently,” Richardson said. “I haven’t talked to [General Manager Chris] Ballard or anybody about that recently, so I’m not necessarily sure what’s going on with that, but I’m just here right now, trying to make sure I can stamp my foot on this team and be the best version of myself I can be for the team.”

Richardson hasn’t rescinded his trade request yet, but his stance has remained team-first throughout this offseason. Back in May, when he showed up for the voluntary workouts, he was asked about the possibility of a trade, and even then he’d decided to focus on the workouts to help the Colts.

“I signed a contract,” He said back then. “I was still on this team before the trade stuff. I’ve got an obligation to this team to come out here and play and perform, be ready to play if they need me. So, I don’t think it’s weird or awkward.”

Cut to July, and GM Ballard noted, “We’re not just giving him away. I’m not going to do that.” This leaves the Colts with four quarterbacks on their depth chart – Daniel Jones, Richardson, Riley Leonard, and Easton Stick. And for Richardson, there’s another piece of good news from his head coach, Shane Steichen.

“Colts HC Shane Steichen said the plan is for QBs Riley Leonard and Anthony Richardson Sr. to play in Thursday’s preseason opener against the Patriots,” The Athletic’s James Boyd posted on X. “Daniel Jones will only participate in Tuesday’s joint practice. (I’d be shocked if DJ plays in the preseason.)”

For Leonard, the 6th-round pick out of last season’s draft, this is an opportunity to showcase how much he has learned since 2025. Daniel Jones is the starting quarterback, and after an Achilles injury ended his 2025 campaign, the Colts will try to keep him healthy as long as they can. For Richardson, this is a chance to prove his eye has fully healed and that he can still be a valuable member of the organization. But per NFL insider Ian Rapoport, the questions about his eye have not vanished yet.

“For Anthony Richardson, a couple of things to me are clear,” Rapoport said. “One, I would not be surprised if he’s playing his last down of football with the Indianapolis Colts; it just does not seem to be in the cards there for him to play quarterback for them. If he is going to be traded or if he is going to be on another team after the Colts eventually cut him, the real question is how well can he see?

“This is something for teams that they are going to have to address. He hurt his eye, he went to the hospital, he obviously can see some, but when he’s going through it, it is a difference between seeing okay and can you feel and see the rushers on either side, can you see the receivers downfield.”

The Colts have already declined to exercise the fifth-year option on Richardson’s rookie deal, meaning he will hit free agency after the 2026 season. This preseason game might just become an audition for other teams looking for a signal-caller to add to their depth chart.