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Malik Willis shared his feelings after signing with the Miami Dolphins

The Green Bay Packers have yet to replace Malik Willis on the quarterback depth chart, but one of the leading candidates to do so just got one step closer to leaving his current team.

Former No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 draft, Anthony Richardson got permission from the Indianapolis Colts to seek a trade during the NFL combine in late February. Green Bay immediately emerged as a candidate, as Willis left just days later for a starting opportunity with the Miami Dolphins.

On Friday, May 1, the Colts declined Richardson’s fifth-year option for the 2027 campaign, valued at $22.5 million for that season. Had Indianapolis picked up that option, Richardson would have represented a vastly increased financial investment for any team potentially interested in trading for him.

Now, if the Packers decide to go that route, they will only have to invest approximately $5.4 million in 2026 with no commitment to Richardson beyond next season.

“The [Colts’] decision adds uncertainty to Richardson’s future with the club,” ESPN’s Stephen Holder reported. “Richardson has not attended voluntary offseason workouts.”

Anthony Richardson Logical Next Step for Packers After Malik Willis’ Departure

GettyIndianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson.

As it stands currently, Desmond Ridder is QB2 behind Jordan Love.

Precisely how the Packers feel about that is unclear, but the team called on Willis multiple times in big moments over the past two years, so an upgrade behind Love in 2026 has merit as an idea.

Willis appeared in 11 games for Green Bay across two seasons, earning a record of 2-1 as a starter. He threw for 972 yards, six TDs and zero INTs on a completion rate of 78.7 percent. Willis added 261 rushing yards and three scores.

Richardson has a similar dual-threat skill set as Willis, the latter of whom couldn’t find his way into the starting lineup with regularity across two seasons with the Tennessee Titans. Richardson was a considerably higher draft pick than Willis and came into the league as a rookie starter.

However, he struggled with both injuries and poor play before ultimately losing his starting role permanently to Daniel Jones last preseason. The parallels between Richardson and Willis and their respective first stops in the league are strong, which lends credence to the notion that the Packers might find similar success with Richardson as a backup.

Packers Should Be Able to Trade Day 3 Pick for Anthony Richardson, Replace With Compensatory Selection

GettyIndianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson.

The value question in terms of trade cost shouldn’t be significant at this point, as Indy benched Richardson two years ago for Joe Flacco, replaced him with Jones to start last season and has abandoned him to the trade block sans a fifth-year option this spring.

The Packers don’t own their first-rounder or sixth-rounder in 2027, though they do hold an extra fourth by way of the Dallas Cowboys.

Dan Barr of NFL Network predicted this week that Green Bay will be one of two franchises, along with the Seattle Seahawks, to gain four compensatory picks from the league heading into next April’s draft.

Barr did the math on all of the Packers’ losses in free agency, Willis chief among them, and projected that the team will pick up one selection in Rounds 3, 4, 5 and 6, respectively. Those picks always come after the scheduled selections in each round, meaning they are the last in the overall order.

Green Bay can’t trade any of those yet because the team won’t officially hold the rights to any of them until the league runs its compensatory formulas next offseason. However, knowing what is likely coming their way allows the Packers to send Indianapolis something like Green Bay’s fifth-rounder next year.

If the Packers play well and the likelihoods on comp picks play out in expected fashion, or even close to it, Green Bay would be sending the Colts a late fifth-round asset, then picking up another selection from the league approximately 10-15 spots down the line.