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Trent Richardson's NFL career on life support after Raiders cut him

Frank Schwab
·NFL writer

Running back Trent Richardson didn't make the Oakland Raiders' roster. He didn't even make the cutdown to 75 players on Monday.

Richardson was released by the Raiders, as reported by ESPN.com's Bill Williamson. Richardson might be done in the NFL after his abrupt end in Oakland. The Raiders gave him a two-year, $3.85 million contract with $600,000 guaranteed, according to Spotrac, which seemed high because who were they bidding against? Richardson was traded from Cleveland and failed spectacularly with the Indianapolis Colts. The third overall pick of the 2012 draft averaged just 3.1 yards per carry with the Colts in 29 games.

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Even though he was bad with the Colts, it seemed worth a flier for the Raiders (although at a higher price than anyone should have paid). Then Richardson had just 42 yards on 15 preseason carries. He still has problems finding the hole or getting through it when he spots it. It was clear that Richardson was behind many of the Raiders' backup backs, including former Auburn standout Michael Dyer. There was no reason for Oakland to keep him around until the final cuts. 

What's next for Richardson? Any team giving him another chance is doing so because they remember his college tape from Alabama and must believe that there's a correctable reason he has been so bad in the NFL. If Richardson doesn't reemerge he'll go down as a massive first-round bust. Not only was he the third overall pick by Cleveland, but Indianapolis doubled down by trading a first-rounder to Cleveland to get him. Two teams invested first-round picks for Richardson for 2,032 career yards on 614 carries.

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The Raiders decided they had seen enough after three preseason games and saw the $600,000 they gave Richardson as a sunk cost. Will anyone else see anything in Richardson after that?

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!