Trent Richardson will not play in Canada after all.
After initially agreeing to play for the Canadian Football League’s Saskatchewan Roughriders for the rest of this season, Richardson has decided not to go north because the contract with the Roughriders would have given the team a 2018 option as well.
Richardson told AL.com that the team option was a sticking point because his goal is to get back to the NFL. If Richardson had taken the contract with the team option, he could have been contractually obligated to remain in the CFL for the 2018 season and unable to play in the NFL until 2019.
Realistically, Richardson getting back to the NFL is a long shot. The Browns and the Colts made him their featured back and he failed in both places, averaging just 3.3 yards a carry in his three NFL seasons. He then failed to make the roster after getting chances in Oakland and Baltimore.
So playing in the CFL may be Richardson’s best hope of getting another professional football job. But that’s not a step Richardson is willing to take just yet.