He played college football for the North Carolina Tar Heels and was selected by the Denver Broncos in the second round of the 2009 NFL draft.

[1] On July 23, 2009, Quinn signed a four-year contract with injury protection guarantee.

His first reception was in week 15 of the 2010 NFL season from rookie quarterback Tim Tebow in a 39-23 loss against the Oakland Raiders.

On December 13, 2011, Richard Quinn was signed to the Washington Redskins' 53-man active roster.

[2] Quinn played only one game with the Redskins in Week 15 against the New York Giants of the 2011 season.