A few months ago, Trent Richardson was happy to be back in the NFL, and hoping to make the Ravens roster.
In the ensuing time, he’s raised his sights considerably.
CSNMidAtlantic’s Chris Miller asked the former No. 3 overall pick how he thought his career would end, and Richardson said it would be with him “Putting on a yellow jacket.”
Apparently he’s not planning to buy a matching hat and a pet monkey named George, but rather earn entrance into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
“People wrote him off, he came back and did some amazing things,” Richardson said, referring to himself. “He always had the pedigree. He just had to get back to the guy that we know.”
That will be quite a task for a guy who has never rushed for 1,000 yards in a season, or averaged more than 3.6 yards per carry.
But Richardson said his problems earlier in his career were a matter of distractions.
“As a person at that time, mentally (I) wasn’t stable enough to play football, for any level,” Richardson said. “My mindset wasn’t right for it, I had too much going on outside of football. The football was always there, but everything that carried on outside the field, it carried onto the field. I couldn’t think about football all the time. Football became little to me at the time. . . .
“This is a good chance of being my last ride when it comes to proving myself in the NFL. I know myself that I’m not done in the NFL, don’t want to be done. I got a taste of what that felt like. To tell my kids that their father didn’t have a job, it was big for me. I’m here, I’m going to be here for awhile.”
At least he’s back on the practice field this week, after missing OTA time with a hamstring problem. But that and his unmet potential are apparently behind him.
Canton awaits.