Jonathan JonesFeb 26, 2026
Jones expects Anthony Richardson to be traded, likely for roughly a fifth-round pick, and to serve as a backup rather than a starter in 2026. They also lay out a series of quarterback-market predictions: Aaron Rodgers back with the Steelers, Tua off the Dolphins roster, Daniel Jones ultimately staying as the Colts' starter, Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders competing for Cleveland's QB1 job, Will Levis most likely of the veteran backups to be traded, and Kirk Cousins possibly landing in Arizona.
Said on air, transcribed by us · Pushing the Pile (podcast)Hear the original
What Jonathan Jones said
our reading, beside the words we read it fromUltimately, I believe that Daniel Jones will be the quarterback of the Colts.
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- Pushing the Pile (podcast)
- The episode
- NFL Combine News & Notes: Anthony Richardson Trade Rumors | QB Carousel | MUCH MORE!
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- SaidFeb 26
- GradedAug 14–Sep 23
- 1Will Levis to move to Tennessee Titans“most likely to be traded out of that group would be Will Levis”
- 2Anthony Richardson to be 2nd on the depth chart“He's going somewhere to be a backup next year to just kinda see what you got. Yeah... But I don't have any evidence from his play that he's going to be able to do that to start '26.”
- 3Daniel Jones to be 1st on the depth chart“Ultimately, I believe that Daniel Jones will be the quarterback of the Colts.”
- 4Tua Tagovailoa to move to Miami Dolphins“No. No. Tua won't Tua won't be on the team.”
- 5Deshaun Watson to be 1st on the depth chart“I see this playing out as Deshaun and Shador are battling it out for QB one.”
- 6Anthony Richardson to move“I did not really see where Anthony Richardson was gonna be a member of the Indianapolis Colts in 2026... You start getting into that fifth round range, and that that's probably the sweet spot. That's probably what's gonna wind up happening.”
- 7Aaron Rodgers to move to Pittsburgh Steelers“Steelers, Aaron Rodgers. I think that they know that he's coming back... I think that he's their plan”
- 8Kirk Cousins to move to Arizona Cardinals“I don't know that cousins just maybe to Arizona.”
Box score
HitCloseMissWaiting| Verdict | Call | Kind | What happened | Score | Naive | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Will Levis to move to Tennessee Titans1 | Trade and Signing Calls | — | 100 | 0 | +200 | |
| Anthony Richardson to be 2nd on the depth chart2 | Depth Chart Calls | No. 4 | 83.33 | 75 | +8.33 | |
| Daniel Jones to be 1st on the depth chart3 | Depth Chart Calls | No. 1 | 100 | 100 | 0 | |
| Tua Tagovailoa to move to Miami Dolphins4 | Trade and Signing Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| Deshaun Watson to be 1st on the depth chart5 | Depth Chart Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| Anthony Richardson to move6 | Trade and Signing Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| Aaron Rodgers to move to Pittsburgh Steelers7 | Trade and Signing Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| Kirk Cousins to move to Arizona Cardinals8 | Trade and Signing Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| 8 calls · 3 hits · 5 waiting | 94.4 | 58.3 | ||||
How each call scored
a naive guessbetter than naive8 checkable claims — 5 trade and signing calls and 3 depth chart calls — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call.
It names 13 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
3 of 8 have settled so far, averaging 94.4 out of 100, against 58.3 for a naive guess at the same calls.
Of the 1 unsettled call enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands below the rest of the room.
Each call is scored 0 to 100 against what happened, on its own, by the published methodology. The naive guess is what knowing nothing would have scored on the same calls; the gap, weighted by how hard the call was, is the skill.
1Trade and Signing CallsWill LevisTennessee Titans
Will Levis to move to Tennessee Titans
VerdictHit100Hit · naive 0100this call−0a naive guess=100better than naive×2difficulty=+200skillThink this is wrong?How this was scored
- skill:
- 200
- player:
- Will Levis
- season:
- 2026
- claimed:
- he leaves
- was with:
- TEN
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 0
- reported:
- signed → NYJ (from TEN)
- settled by:
- a confirmed report from the crawl (reported outcomes)
- difficulty:
- 2
- the naive guess:
- he stays where he is
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks left when called:
- 18
2Depth Chart CallsAnthony Richardson
Anthony Richardson to be 2nd on the depth chart
What happenedNo. 4called No. 2 · by passing yards83.33Hit · naive 7583.33this call−75a naive guess=8.33better than naive×1difficulty=+8.33skillThink this is wrong?How this was scored
- club:
- IND
- skill:
- 8.33
- player:
- Anthony Richardson
- season:
- 2025
- accuracy:
- 83.33
- baseline:
- 75
- position:
- QB
- naive slot:
- 1
- actual slot:
- 4
- difficulty:
- 1
- measured by:
- passing yards
- the naive guess:
- where he sat last season
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- predicted slot:
- 2
- weeks left when called:
- 0
3Depth Chart CallsDaniel JonesIndianapolis Colts
Daniel Jones to be 1st on the depth chart
What happenedNo. 1called No. 1 · by passing yards100Hit · naive 100100this call−100a naive guess=0better than naive×1difficulty=0skillThink this is wrong?How this was scored
- club:
- IND
- skill:
- 0
- player:
- Daniel Jones
- season:
- 2025
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 100
- position:
- QB
- naive slot:
- 1
- actual slot:
- 1
- difficulty:
- 1
- measured by:
- passing yards
- the naive guess:
- where he sat last season
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- predicted slot:
- 1
- weeks left when called:
- 0
4Trade and Signing CallsTua TagovailoaMiami Dolphins
Tua Tagovailoa to move to Miami Dolphins
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
5Depth Chart CallsDeshaun WatsonCleveland Browns
Deshaun Watson to be 1st on the depth chart
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
6Trade and Signing CallsAnthony Richardson
Anthony Richardson to move
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
7Trade and Signing CallsAaron RodgersPittsburgh Steelers
Aaron Rodgers to move to Pittsburgh Steelers
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
8Trade and Signing CallsKirk CousinsArizona Cardinals
Kirk Cousins to move to Arizona Cardinals
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- All
The take as a whole
the average of 3 settled calls, each counted once
94.4naive 58.3
Who this take is about
Will Levis, Tennessee Titans, Anthony Richardson, Daniel Jones, Indianapolis Colts, Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins, Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns, Aaron Rodgers, Pittsburgh Steelers, Kirk Cousins, Arizona Cardinals
Others on the same people
Logan Lazarczyk · Trade and Signing Calls · Kirk Cousins · Hit 100
Ahead of the trade deadline, they float three Raiders moves: shipping Kirk Cousins to Minnesota if the Vikings offer a second-round pick, selling Maxx Crosby to Dallas for a first-rounder plus, and acquiring Jaguars receiver Brian Thomas Jr. for a second- or third-round pick.Tom Pelissero · Trade and Signing Calls · Kirk Cousins · Hit 100
Pelissero laid out the Giants' quarterback situation with Jameis Winston starting, said Jayden Daniels likely won't be back when Washington plays the Giants and that Caleb Williams is unlikely to play Monday night, and floated Joey Porter Jr. landing in Dallas and Kirk Cousins being traded in-season.Alex Curry · Trade and Signing Calls · Kirk Cousins · Hit 100
Curry expects Fernando Mendoza to be taken No. 1 overall by the Raiders and to be thrown into the starting lineup immediately, and they say Kirk Cousins will be released by Atlanta within weeks.Alex Curry · Trade and Signing Calls · Kirk Cousins · Hit 100
Curry expects Fernando Mendoza to be the No. 1 overall pick and land with the Raiders, and they say Kirk Cousins will be released by Atlanta.
More trade and signing calls
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
Chris Clark · Trade and Signing Calls · Nikko Remigio · Miss 0
Clark expects the Chiefs to bring back exclusive-rights receiver Nico (Remigio) and long snapper James Winchester, to re-sign JuJu Smith-Schuster as a cheap veteran fifth receiver, and not to bring back Hollywood Brown, Josh Dobbs-type depth, Gardner Minshew, Janarius Robinson or Mike Caliendo; they also say the Chiefs will not use a franchise tag and believes Bryan Cook won't return.Nate Gosney · Trade and Signing Calls · Daiyan Henley · Miss 0
After the Broncos rescinded the trade, Gosney expects Daiyan Henley to remain with the Chargers for the rest of the 2026 season, but believes the awkward fallout has effectively killed any chance of them signing a new contract with Los Angeles after the season.Patricia Traina · Trade and Signing Calls · J.J. McCarthy · Hit 100
Traina expects defensive tackle to be a top need for the Giants in next year's draft, and suggests the Giants could trade J.J. McCarthy next offseason — or keep both them and Jaxson Dart if the return isn't good enough. They also expect Dart to make a full recovery.Michael David Smith · Trade and Signing Calls · Keenan Allen · Hit 100
Smith suggests the Colts are likely to grant Josh Downs' trade request given their contract situation and their recent sell-off, and that they could also try to trade Keenan Allen.Noah Compton · Trade and Signing Calls · Josh Downs · Hit 100
Compton expects the rebuilding Colts to keep dealing veterans before the November 10 deadline, naming Jonathan Taylor, Josh Downs and Grover Stewart as the likeliest remaining trade candidates, and believes Indianapolis should and likely will move on from quarterback Daniel Jones, while Shane Steichen keeps starting Jones in the meantime.Mike Fanelli · Trade and Signing Calls · Keenan Allen · Hit 100
Fanelli suggested Keenan Allen may be dealt away from Indianapolis, with Week 9 potentially their final appearance for the Colts.