Redskins release Paul Richardson

On the same day Washington moved on from cornerback Josh Norman, the Redskins announced Friday they've also released wide receiver Paul Richardson.

The news was first reported by Mike Garafolo reports for NFL Network.

Paul Richardson earned about $16.9m in two years with the #Redskins. Was due $6.5m this season. Hits the market instead. Wonder if the #Seahawks will have interest in a reunion.

Neither player particularly matched the hype of their signings. Richardson, 27, signed a five-year, $40 million deal with the Redskins in March 2018 and played two lackluster seasons in Washington. His biggest drawback was he couldn't stay on the field, playing just 17 games for the Redskins with just 10 starts to his name.

"Richardson's number's not huge, I don't think," Garafolo told 106.7 The Fan moments before Richardson's release. "It's what – $5 milion? $6 million? – something like that. But, you know, if you're looking at your returns as you now go forward here and try and reset the table, and bring in your own guys, not the free agents of a previous regime, yeah, I'd put him on that list."

The Redskins are now releasing Paul Richardson as well, @MikeGarafolo says.Richardson caught just 48 passes and missed 15 games in two seasons with the #Redskins. Costly cut because it will nail the team for $6M in dead cap this year but saves $2M in cap space overall.

Both of Richardson's Redskins seasons ended prematurely, with him being placed on Injured Reserve with a shoulder injury in 2018 and a hamstring injury in 2019. In total, he caught 48 balls for 507 yards and four touchdowns for the burgundy and gold. The six-year NFL veteran played four seasons for the Seahawks prior to Washington.

"Jordan Reed's an interesting one because I don't know about the retirement end of things, and a lot of times guys won't officially retire," Garafolo said. "I've heard some rumblings about that. I don't want go out there and say the guy's gonna retire. He's got to make his own decision on that."

"We know about his continued health issues," he said. "But if you retire and walk away, you basically punt any injury money that can come your way. Under the CBA, you're up for a million dollars in injury protection if you're cut basically by a team, and it's because you're not healthy enough. That could be one that could take a little bit to play out."