Trent Richardson

Indianapolis Colts running back Trent Richardson carries the ball against the Washington Redskins during the first half of an NFL game on Nov. 30, 2014, in Indianapolis.

(AP Photo)

The Oakland Raiders are on the hook for at least $600,000 for giving running back Trent Richardson another chance in the NFL. The former Alabama All-American signed a two-year, $3.85 million contract, with another $4.1 million available in incentives, with the Oakland Raiders on Tuesday.

However, the guaranteed portion of the contract - the money the Raiders will have to play Richardson even if he never plays in a game or even makes it to practice - amounts to $600,000.

So does that mean the Raiders are taking only a flier on Richardson, as Joe Soriano of Sports Illustrated's Raiders web site wrote: "Since the Raiders almost got in trouble with the league for not spending enough money, I'd say that they don't give a crap about eating up $600,000, since the rest of the money in his contract is as good as monopoly money." Or is that enough money that the Raiders will feel they have an investment in Richardson, as Dan Hanzus of NFL.com thinks: "It's not a huge figure, but it shows that Oakland is taking more than just a flier on Richardson, who averaged 3.1 yards a carry during his calamitous two-year run with the Colts."

The Raiders are Richardson's third NFL team. The Cleveland Browns selected him with the third pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. The Indianapolis Colts acquired Richardson during the 2013 season in exchange for a first-round draft choice. On March 12, the Colts waived Richardson. The Raiders signed him as a free agent after he went unclaimed during his 24 hours on the waiver wire.

Richardson immediately was hailed as another reclamation project for the Raiders.

"I didn't really look at it like that, though," Richardson said in a conference call with Oakland media. "I'm just coming in and looking for this opportunity. Not saying that I've got to start over, but right now, it's just a fresh start for me. It's something that I can build off of and know that I can't lose. With my mindset and the chip that's on my shoulder, it's no looking back."

If Richardson stays with the Raiders for the entire season, he'll be paid $1.925 million, even without meeting the bonus incentives. Among running backs currently under contract for the 2015 season, that would put him 29th on the position's pay scale. A $600,000 payday would put Richardson 74th on the running back pay list.

Richardson enters the Raiders' offseason program No. 3 on the depth chart behind Oakland's leading returning rusher, Latavius Murray, and Roy Helu. Murray ran for 424 yards and two touchdowns on 82 carries in 2014, with 76 attempts and 413 yards coming in the final six games of the season. Like Richardson, Helu is joining the Raiders as a free agent, signing a two-year, $4.1 million contract, with $1 million guaranteed.

Richardson ran for 519 yards and three touchdowns on 159 carries last season for Indianapolis.

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Richardson stands to make more money from his former team than from the Raiders in 2015, if his grievance against the Colts is successful. The day after Richardson was released by Indianapolis, the NFL Players Association filed a grievance on his behalf for $3,184,062 - the value of the final season on his four-year, $20,489,796, fully guaranteed rookie contract.

Indianapolis does not think Richardson is due the money because he was suspended at the time of his release. The Colts suspended Richardson for not notifying the team promptly about his absence from the walkthrough on the day before Indianapolis played the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game. Richardson has said he was dealing with a family medical emergency.

Richardson said he thinks his weight also played a part in the suspension. He was fined 14 times for weighing in at more than 227 pounds.

"We had made an agreement where I'd weigh 230 pounds, but it turns out that I was supposed to be 227 pounds and they didn't tell me that," Richardson said. "We've got a list of things we can use against the Colts where I can get my money back. They were fining me for failing to meet conduct code. Not making weight is not conduct code."