Getty Images

A well-traveled tailback is going back to the state where his football career hit its peak.

Former Crimson Tide running back Trent Richardson returns to Alabama, joining the Birmingham franchise of the Alliance for American Football. The upstart spring league announced the looming move on Wednesday.

The third overall pick in the 2012 draft, Richardson rushed for 950 yards as a rookie. The Browns sent him to the Colts for a first-round pick during the 2013 season. After a pair of unimpressive campaigns in Indianapolis, Richardson washed out of the NFL, with shots of espresso in various cities in multiple leagues.

Richardson, who has returned to Tuscaloosa to practice with his college program, will now be in Alabama again, getting one last chance to become the kind of performer at the professional level he never has been.