The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are entering the final year of Baker Mayfield's contract. With no new contract agreed upon, the Buccaneers might need to start thinking about other options for their team.
Austen Bundy of FanSided thinks he knows just the one. Bundy proposed that the Buccaneers strike a deal with the Indianapolis Colts for quarterback Anthony Richardson. The Colts previously selected Richardson fourth overall in the 2023 NFL Draft but after some up and down years, it's clear that Richardson isn't the quarterback for them anymore.
"Richardson's presence on the Colts' roster is just a financial drag and the longer he stays there the more returns for him are diminishing. Any team willing to buy wouldn't have to spend much but it's going to require some desperation to get a suitor on the phone," Bundy wrote.
Anthony Richardson trade idea gives the Tampa Bay Buccaneers an intriguing Plan B
This bodes well for the Bucs because, while Richardson isn't necessarily a quarterback that's going to have people jumping for joy, he'd be a cheap trade target. Bundy has Tampa surrendering a sixth-round pick in order to land Richardson, which would be next to nothing.
Some Bucs fans might be saying, "Yeah, there's a reason for that" and I get that logic for sure. Richardson has not been very good during his time in the pros but he's also yet to have an offense that's as loaded as Tampa Bay's is. That's the argument Bundy makes in why adding him in a trade could make all the sense in the world.
Before diving into that aspect, Bundy touched on how Mayfield is Tampa's quarterback for the 2026 season but what happens if he gets hurt? Jake Browning didn't look very good in Cincinnati when tasked with filling in for Joe Burrow and that Bengals offense is even more loaded than the Buccaneers' offense is.
"Acquiring Richardson would be a cheap insurance option in the event of a long-term injury to Mayfield. He's only two years removed from an 1,800-yard campaign and could benefit from a change in scenery. Richardson also wouldn't present a commitment dilemma. His current contract is also up at the end of the 2026-27 season and he'll only cost the team an affordable $1.145 million salary cap hit,"
"Handing Richardson the keys to an offense led by elite wideouts like Emeka Egbuka and Chris Godwin could elevate his game. If he plays anywhere close to the high-upside player he showed in 2024, Tampa Bay would have better bargaining power over Mayfield should his market be soft in 2027. The worst case scenario is Richardson sits and develops behind Mayfield and the team can sign him to a "prove it" deal to succeed him for 2027."
This trade, for now, would give the Buccaneers another insurance option behind Mayfield should he get injured. And, if he were given a chance to play, perhaps the change of scenery would help things click for him.
Ultimately, Bucs fans want to see Mayfield continue to be the quarterback of this team but, until that's for sure going to happen, there's no harm in throwing out trades like this one to see what could actually make sense. Richardson didn't pan out in Indy but maybe a fresh start elsewhere with a stacked offense is the recipe to get things going for the former Florida Gator.
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