Jets should trade Sheldon Richardson in 2017

It’s no secret the New York Jets shopped around defensive end Sheldon Richardson before the NFL trade deadline. Since nothing transpired, they should trade him this upcoming offseason.

Make no mistake about it, defensive end Sheldon Richardson is on borrowed time. From his lack of hustle to being late to team meetings, the writing is on the wall. Rumors were running wild around the NFL trade deadline that Richardson was on the trading block. It’s not a shock in the grand scheme of things.

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It’s hard to believe in what exactly happened behind closed doors but ever since then, Richardson has lost his usual aggression. He’s having one of his worse seasons yet and was benched for a quarter in a game this season due to tardiness.

So far in 2016, Richardson has totaled 29 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and one pass defended. His lackluster results aren’t solely on him but for an underachieving defensive line that can’t seem to bring consistent pressure on defense, he’s not stepping up at all.

It’s a shame really since the Jets defensive line had major potential heading into this season but besides Week 1, they’ve been mediocre at best. Considering the Jets have defensive end Leonard Williams that looks like he could be the real deal, makes Richardson expendable.

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It’s best the Jets trade away Richardson this upcoming offseason to add either more players to address areas of need or a high draft pick. Considering that Richardson is entering some of the best years of his career, means a plethora of teams will be interested in his services. He could be a defensive cornerstone on another team and since he’s probably miserable being on the Jets, would welcome the change of scenery.

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Richardson should at the very least garner a first-round draft pick and the Jets would be wise to do it for the 2017 NFL Draft. If this team plans to contend again in the future, they must deal away players that bring distraction and focus on youth. Draft players that are ready to make a difference and actually play hard from start to finish.