Richards made his full international debut for Wales in 2012, and represented the nation at UEFA Euro 2016.

After two seasons, he was released and joined the academy at their South Wales rivals Swansea City at the age of fifteen.

After spending two seasons with the academy and reserve sides,[4] Richards made his professional debut for Swansea in a Championship match against Middlesbrough during a 3–0 loss on 15 August 2009, replacing Shaun MacDonald as a substitute in the 63rd minute.

He did not make his first appearance of the season until 3 January 2011, during a 2–1 defeat against Leicester City following a defensive injury crisis where several first team players were ruled out.

[12][13] After appearing on the bench for several matches at the start of the following season, Richards made his Premier League debut when he came on as a substitute for Neil Taylor during a 3–1 loss to Norwich City on 15 October 2011.

[18] Because of this, he stated his desire to leave the club on loan to gain experience and compete for his spot in the first team.

[21] In his next match, against Charlton Athletic, Richards assisted Glenn Murray's winning goal, as Palace defeated their South London rivals 2–1.

[28] Following his return from his loan spell, Richards did not appear in another match until 16 February 2014 when he made played in a 3–1 loss against Everton in the last-sixteen of the FA Cup.

[32][33] In a 2–1 loss against Tottenham Hotspur on 14 December 2014, Richards made an error that led to Christian Eriksen scoring the winning goal.

[35] Despite his apology, he became a victim of abuse on social media website Twitter by Swansea City supporters.

[35] Manager Garry Monk backed Richards and picked him in the club's following fixture against Hull City.

However, ahead of the 2016–17 season, Richards was expected to lose his first team place at Fulham, with manager Slaviša Jokanović preferring Ryan Fredericks in the right-back position.

[46] He made his debut in a goalless draw at Birmingham City, where he became embroiled in controversy after reportedly refusing to do Cardiff's traditional ayatollah gesture, performed by fans of the club, several times at the match.

His lengthy rehabilitation prompted manager Neil Warnock to quip "I've had lads with broken legs recover quicker than him."

[49][50] He enjoyed an extended run in the first team soon after, playing in ten of the club's following twelve matches, stating that he felt that he had "a lot more to show.

[54] In March 2021, Richards joined Cymru Premier side Haverfordwest County on a contract until the end of the season.

[56] In April 2022, Richards scored his first senior professional goals with a hat trick against Cefn Druids.

[2] On 27 May 2012, he gained his first full international cap for Wales in their 2–0 friendly loss to Mexico in New Jersey, replacing Neil Taylor for the last ten minutes of the match.

[69] Richards' comes from a family with a sporting background as his cousin Eli Walker is a professional athlete.