Trent Richardson hasn’t yet cleared waivers, but he has already filed a grievance against his old team related to the suspension he received from the Colts at the end of the 2014 season, according to Pro Football Talk (Twitter link).
During the postseason, the Colts suspended Richardson for two games for conduct detrimental to the team after the running back missed a morning walkthrough before the AFC Championship game against the Patriots. The move voided the guarantee on the former third overall pick’s $3.184MM base salary for the 2015 season, so Richardson and the NFLPA will attempt to recoup that money through the grievance.
Richardson reportedly was dealing with a family emergency involving “serious complications” to his girlfriend’s pregnancy when he was absent for the Colts’ walkthrough, according to Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star.
Regardless of whether or not Richardson gets his guaranteed salary back from the Colts, he’s expected to pass through waivers shortly, and it sounds like he’s happy to be out of Indianapolis. The 24-year-old told Mike Wells of ESPN.com (Twitter link) yesterday that he and GM Ryan Grigson “didn’t see eye to eye.”
“My next step, I’ll be the starter,” Richardson said. “Indy didn’t fit me.”
While that’s an optimistic outlook for Richardson, I can’t imagine any team will sign expecting him to be the starter at this point, though he could compete for the role somewhere. One team that might be interested? The Titans, according to Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com (Twitter link). A source tells McCormick not to be surprised if the team kicks the tires on Richardson once he clears waivers and becomes an unrestricted free agent.