Oakland Raiders: Defending Trent Richardson deal

The Oakland Raiders have one of the NFL’s most intriguing running backs in Latavius Murray, and it appears that the team will wisely give the explosive youngster every chance to be the team’s No. 1 back in 2015 after promising displays in 2014. A running back later on in the 2015 NFL Draft is still in the cards, but the Raiders clearly won’t take someone early in the draft after signing Trent Richardson to a two-year flier a few days ago and adding the underrated and well-rounded Roy Helu earlier.

Richardson is currently the third back on the depth chart behind Murray and Helu, and he’s been nothing short of disappointing ever since coming into the league as the No. 3 overall pick by the Cleveland Browns in the 2012 draft. He was a workhorse for the Browns with 51 receptions, 950 rushing yards, and 12 total touchdowns, but he also averaged just 3.6 yards per carry and was traded to the Indianapolis Colts for a first-round pick a year later.

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That trade was a huge red flag when it came to Richardson’s career prospects, since the Browns were willing to overlook 12 TDs and take a lower pick in a trade than the pick they spent on T-Rich just a year earlier. Two horrific seasons in Indianapolis with 3.0 and 3.3 yards per carry spelled the end for Richardson with the team, as he was criticized for awful vision and an inability or unwillingness to pick up Pep Hamilton’s system.

Per Pro Football Focus, Richardson forced 29 missed tackles on just 158 attempts, and normally that would lead a running back to have much more than 3.3 yards per carry. But no so for Richardson, whose issues in the finer points of the game can be seen in this famous meme from his days in Cleveland.

When it was first reported that the Raiders signed Richardson, I tried to defend the team as best as I could on Twitter, since many people were sending the usual “That’s SO Raiders” tweets. These, of course, increased when the total value of Richardson’s contract was reported.

Here’s the thing, though, the Raiders are actually only giving T-Rich $3.85 million over two years, since the other $4.1 million is based on incentives, including a $150,000 workout bonus for each season. I was surprised to see that he is actually getting $600,000 in guarantee money- I wouldn’t give someone who can’t average more than 3.6 yards per attempt any guaranteed cash- but that’s honestly not much in the grand scheme of things.

We can sit here and harp on how crappy Richardson has been through his first three seasons, but that’s so easy. I mean, you don’t need anybody to tell you that his body of work with the Colts is horrible, and you don’t need anybody to tell you that he is a couple of more failed seasons away from being a bust.

What is worth discussing is whether or not T-Rich can become a viable back for the Raiders and if the contract he is getting accurately reflects his talent and the risk involved if he can’t get back on track. Since the Raiders almost got in trouble with the league for not spending enough money, I’d say that they don’t give a crap about eating up $600,000, since the rest of the money in his contract is as good as monopoly money.

$4.1 million of his contract may be in “real” incentives, but, if you think about it, the $3.85 million overall in two seasons is also technically an “incentive”. Instead of being an incentive to reach certain stats or awards, these are incentives to not suck. So if Richardson continues to average less than 3.5 yards per carry, he’ll pocket $600,000, but he’ll get at least $3.85 million if he’s good enough to cut the mustard for two seasons. With Helu, Murray, and possibly a late-round back in the mix, Richardson’s only guarantee is $600,000; he’s not even guaranteed to make the roster this year.

I look at this deal and the number of tangible and intrinsic incentives, and it’s clear that it’s all set up to make sure that Trent Richardson actually cares about succeeding in Oakland. To be fair, any NFL player should be motivated to play well, but the immediate financial details increase the sense of urgency for Richardson to finally work hard at understanding the finer points of the position (such as vision and blocking schemes).

He should want to earn money in the future and shed his “bust” status, but, in case that isn’t enough, the Raiders have made it a difference among the totals of $600,000, $3.85 million, and $7.95 million.

In all honesty, there’s a good chance Richardson never sees much money out of this contract, since he’s been that bad through three full seasons. He hasn’t been quick enough, he doesn’t explode through holes, he doesn’t find the right holes, he doesn’t seem to know what a “cutback lane” even is, and then there are the work ethic and weight questions.

Of course, the Oakland Raiders are also getting a guy who still has upside, because he was once viewed as a sure-fire thing as a draft prospect and showed some promise in Cleveland despite his low YPC. In the absolute best-case scenario, T-Rich is a feature back. In a more likely best-case scenario, he plays well behind Murray and Helu as part of a strong three-headed monster in Oakland. And in a worst-case scenario, he’s gone in training camp and the Raiders swallow $600,000.

I don’t mind the fact that the Raiders have decided to take a flier on Richardson in the hopes that a change of scenery and extra motivation serve him well, because there isn’t much risk in this deal for a bad, cap-rich team that has two other worthy backs on the roster.

Oct 26, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Indianapolis Colts running back Trent Richardson (34) runs with the ball during warms-up before playing the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field. The Steelers won 51-34. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

There are obviously flier deals out there, but the guaranteed money essentially doesn’t matter to the Raiders, even if it would for most other teams. Again, I would have given Richardson less- if any- guaranteed money, but you can’t blame the Raiders for this.

I think there’s this double-standard that if the Raiders make a deal like this, it has to be bad. If a team like the Seattle Seahawks or New England Patriots did something like this, people would say, “OMG! Genius move!”

This isn’t truly a good move, but it’s fine. It’s a flier deal, and if you’re complaining about $600,000 in guaranteed money from the perspective of a team with over $20 million in cap space, then you need to find something better to complain about.

You know, like the $1.13 million in guaranteed money DeAngelo Williams, who has no upside at 32, will make from the Pittsburgh Steelers to be their No. 2 back after playing in just six games last year. Williams is better, but T-Rich is younger, cheaper, and has less of a performance risk as the No. 3 RB.

These are two different scenarios since the Steelers are playoff contenders, but if you aren’t willing to criticize the Williams deal, then why would knock the Raiders? Oh yeah, because it’s the Oakland Raiders, and you aren’t even funny or creative enough to come up with a better joke (it’s like the people who always assume the Patriots are cheating or make cheap jokes about Tom Brady’s boots).

You can’t call this deal “good”, but you can’t call it “bad” either; it’s just a high-profile flier from a team that can afford to make this move.

Next: Rating Raiders FA Moves

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