Kirk Cousins trade deemed Colts’ best plan to replace Anthony Richardson by Week 1 vs Dolphins

The Indianapolis Colts lost quarterback Anthony Richardson to a finger injury on Thursday night during the team’s preseason opener against the Baltimore Ravens. In response, OutKick’s Armando Salguero believes the alarm needs to be sounded under center and GM Chris Ballard needs to phone up the Atlanta Falcons and negotiate a trade for Kirk Cousins.

Salguero believes the Colts' front office needs to act fast enough to get Cousins in uniform by Indianapolis’s Week 1 matchup against the Miami Dolphins.

“Do it in time to acquire Cousins and get him ready for the regular-season opener against the Miami Dolphins,” Salguero wrote.

“Cousins is better than Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones. He's certainly more proven and accomplished. And the Falcons would trade him for the right price, according to multiple NFL sources.

“But, but, but … that wasn't the plan. Yeah, well, neither is watching Richardson continue his injury-prone career arc.

“Richardson, the team's 2023 first-round pick, has a lot of athletic ability but very little availability. He cannot stay healthy long enough to give anyone confidence he's worth further investment of time.

“Everyone knows if Richardson doesn't play, he cannot improve. He cannot figure it out.”

I spoke with Matt Ryan at the 2025 American Century Championship in Stateline, Nevada, last month and asked about Cousins’ future. He described the exact scenario the Colts are dealing with as one that could force the Falcons to take action on a trade to free up playing time for the 36-year-old.

‘I think unless something happens during training camp or somebody gets hurt across the league, then a trade can happen. I just don't see them moving him, and they've kind of put their hands up on that side too. So hopefully something comes available for Kirk. I think he's still got good football in front of them if he gets healthy. I don't think he was really healthy all last season. So getting healthy, I would think, would help him,” Ryan told me.

We’ll see if Ballard agrees that Indianapolis is the opening Cousins needs to prove he’s still QB1 material. Especially with minimal leverage in a trade with the Falcons to land him.