With one last week of preseason before the NFL season truly kicks off, there are plenty of rumors swirling. After the Indianapolis Colts announced their QB1 decision, speculation immediately started about Anthony Richardson’s future. Plus, some teams are looking to tweak their roster by making a trade ahead of roster cuts next week.
There’s a lot going on before the season gets going, so let’s take a lap around the latest NFL rumors. Today, we have a possible Anthony Richardson landing spot and three teams eyeing roster upgrades via the trade market to explore. Let’s dive into the hottest rumors around the league.
NFL Rumors: Raiders could be the ideal landing spot for Anthony Richardson
After Daniel Jones officially won the Colts’ starting quarterback job over Richardson, speculation began over Richardson’s future with the team. Bleacher Report’s Moe Molton noted that Pete Carroll and the Seattle Seahawks gave Richardson “tremendous consideration” back before the 2023 NFL Draft. Furthermore, Carroll openly said Richardson might be the best athlete that’s ever been drafted at QB. Now that Carroll is with the Las Vegas Raiders, Molton threw out a possible Aidan O’Connell-for-Richardson swap.
How would y’all feel if the Raiders traded Aidan O’Connell for Anthony Richardson Sr.?
This is what Pete Carroll said on @SeattleSports radio after the 2023 draft (h/t @MikeDugar).
⬇️ pic.twitter.com/a9Setd5RZp— Moe Moton (@MoeMoton) August 20, 2025
A move like this could be logical for both sides. The Colts may very well be willing to give up on the Richardson experience, especially after their decision to start Jones over him. Vegas, meanwhile, needs to be looking toward the future: Geno Smith’s contract has a potential out after the 2026 season, and he will be 37 entering the 2027 campaign, so the Raiders may be looking to have a succession plan for him. At the very least, they could upgrade their QB depth.
From Richardson’s perspective, a change of scenery could be beneficial. Additionally, learning behind Smith would make more sense than learning from Jones. Chip Kelly’s offense could be the perfect spot for Richardson to eventually thrive as a starting QB. Overall, if Richardson does indeed hit the open market, don’t be surprised if the Raiders are in the mix.
NFL Rumors: Vikings aiming to upgrade their receiver core
As the start of the season nears, several teams are eyeing roster upgrades. One of those teams is the Minnesota Vikings, who, per Tom Pelissero, are “seriously exploring” veteran wide receivers in the trade market.
Pelissero: Vikings “seriously exploring” veteran receivers in trade market.
— Underdog NFL (@UnderdogNFL) August 20, 2025
The Vikings’ reported interest in receivers makes sense. Jordan Addison is suspended for the first three games of the season, and Justin Jefferson is battling a hamstring injury. This leaves Minnesota with a surprisingly thin wide receiver room. As J.J. McCarthy prepares for his first season as a starter, the Vikings must maximize the talent around him, or else McCarthy’s career could get off to a slow start.
While Pelissero didn’t list any specific names, a reunion with Adam Thelien could be in the cards after the Carolina Panthers drafted Tetairoa McMillan, making the veteran fairly expendable. Furthermore, Rameo Doubs has long been considered a trade candidate in Green Bay, and Alec Pierce could also be moved for the Colts to open space for second-year receiver Adonai Mitchell. Tyreke Hill is a high-end yet not super realistic possibility. Again, none of these names have been linked to the Vikings as yet, but connecting the dots, they could be targets.
NFL Rumors: Jets and 49ers are also looking for WR upgrades
The Vikings aren’t the only team looking to upgrade their receiver room. According to Dianna Russini, the New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers are also monitoring the trade market for WR additions.
Russini: Jets, 49ers also monitoring trade market for potential WR additions.
— Underdog NFL (@UnderdogNFL) August 20, 2025
Again, doing so for both teams makes sense. By all accounts, the Jets’ passing game is a mess, and they also lack a dependable WR outside of Garrett Wilson. Currently, Josh Reynolds and Allen Lazard are their starting receivers next to Wilson; trading for another receiver certainly increases the chances of making the Justin Fields experiment work.
It’s worth wondering why the Jets waited until now to make a move. At least with the Vikings and 49ers, other factors are at play, but the Jets should have known their receiver room would have been this bad from the jump.
San Francisco traded Deebo Samuel this offseason, leaving a bit of a hole in their receiver room. Moreover, Brandon Aiyuk is coming off an ACL injury and is expected to miss the start of the year. And even when he played last season, he was underwhelming.
The Niners are left with Jauan Jennings and second-year receiver Ricky Pearsall as their top two wideouts. Pearsall showed plenty of promise as a rookie, but Jennings has been battling a calf injury in camp. The 49ers have one of the league’s best tight ends in George Kittle. Still, the need for another receiver is clear.
Similarly to the Vikings, guys like Thelien, Pierce, and Doubs could all be in play for these two squads.