Trent Richardson has been traded to the Indianapolis Colts from the Cleveland Browns in exchange for a first-round NFL Draft pick, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. The team announced the move shortly after Schefter. The news comes after Colts owner Jim Irsay teased a major move by the organization earlier in the day.
Trent Richardson traded to Colts for first-round pick
The Colts pulled off a blockbuster trade Thursday, sending a first-round pick to the Browns in exchange for Trent Richardson.
Jason Miller
Suffice it to say, few were prepared for a move of this magnitude, given Irsay's tendency to be a bit exuberant on his Twitter account. The excess exclamation points did the trade justice this time, however. Richardson should become the Colts' immediate starter in place of Vick Ballard, who was lost for the season last week after tearing his ACL in a freak accident.
Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer reports that Browns head coach Rod Chudzinski felt that Richardson was not a fit for the Browns’ offense.
Richardson is in just his second year in the NFL. The Browns drafted him with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. After being named a Heisman finalist during his final year at Alabama, he was considered to be the top running back prospect in his class. Richardson was a workhorse for the Browns during his rookie season, totaling 950 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns on 267 carries, and 367 yards receiving and one touchdown on 51 receptions.
Here’s what Browns GM Joe Banner had to say about the decision to trade Richardson:
“Trent’s a great player and we expect him to have success in this league,” said Browns CEO Joe Banner. “Right now, based on how we’re building this team for sustainable success, we’re going to be aggressive and do what it takes to assemble a team that consistently wins.”
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