The Jets are reportedly making calls in an attempt to trade Sheldon Richardson
The Jets have been attempting to move Richardson for a while now
It's no major secret that the New York Jets have been trying to trade defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson.
Rumors heated up even during the 2016 season, when there was apparently a frantic push to deal him ahead of the trade deadline. CBS Sports NFL Insider Jason La Canfora reported in November that the Jets would pick those efforts back up this offseason, and sure enough, in March ESPN reported that Richardson might be on his way out.
And on Day 2 of the 2017 NFL Draft, the Jets are once again making calls on Richardson, according to NFL.com.
#Jets have been making calls regarding a potential trade of DL Sheldon Richardson. This was their plan coming in. Won’t give him away, tho
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 28, 2017
The Jets have already signed Muhammad Wilkerson to a monster deal and drafted Leonard Williams in 2015, a chain of events that led Richardson to acknowledge that he is the "odd man out" at the position. With the Jets having picked up his fifth-year option, Richardson is scheduled to make just over $8 million this season, though none of that money is guaranteed. He would obviously like a contract extension to lock in some security moving forward. A team that trades for him would presumably be interested in that type of arrangement, but it's not known what kind of deal he'd be seeking.
Richardson has position flexibility to play inside or out in 4-3 or 3-4 defenses and thus would be a good fit for almost any kind of team. This year's draft is considered to be extremely deep along the defensive line, though, so some teams might prefer to draft at that position and get the cost control for more years. They have to balance that desire against the production certainty they get from Richardson, who has shown top-tier talent when he is both healthy and motivated.
















