The Indianapolis Colts are preparing for the start of the NFL Draft on Thursday while also dealing with trade requests from two players.
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Cornerback Kenny Moore II and quarterback Trent Richardson have both requested trades so that they can have fresh starts with other teams. As expected, neither player has shown up for the start of offseason workouts.
General manager Chris Ballard addressed both requests during his press conference on Tuesday. He said that the team's level of respect for Moore led to them saying, "Okay" when the cornerback said it was time for a change. According to ESPN's Stephen Holder, the GM also indicated that the team would release Moore as a courtesy if a trade does not happen.
Moore has spent his entire nine-year career with the Colts while starting 111 of the 132 games in which he appeared. He has registered 21 interceptions with four touchdowns, 68 passes defensed, six forced fumbles with one touchdown, 11.5 sacks, and 649 combined tackles.
Richardson, for comparison, has spent three seasons with the Colts since being taken fourth overall in the NFL Draft. He has only appeared in 17 games while starting 15 due to various reasons.
Richardson missed all but four games as a rookie due to a grade three AC joint sprain that landed him on Injured Reserve. He started 11 games in 204, but he also pulled himself out of a game before being benched in favor of Joe Flacco.
Last season, Richardson sustained a freak eye injury. He fractured his orbital bone in pregame warmups in Week 6 while doing work with an exercise band. Physicians cleared him for activity ahead of the season finale, but the Colts ultimately kept him inactive to close out the season.
This injury and the request for the trade made it appear inevitable that Richardson would move to another team. However, that has not yet happened.
"We've had some calls, but nothing's come to fruition at this time," Ballard said, per the team website. "So at this point he's still an Indianapolis Colt."
While Richardson has requested the trade, the team does not necessarily want to end this partnership. Ballard has indicated that he still has faith in the former fourth overall pick.
