The Jets are actively shopping Sheldon Richardson as the trade deadline approaches, according to a source who spoke with Mike Florio of PFT (on Twitter).
This jibes with a previous report which indicated that the Jets have approached the Cowboys about a potential deal. While we heard last week that the Jets were unlikely to move Richardson, it now appears that they have ramped things up with hours to go.
The Jets, in theory, can afford to part with Richardson as they already have Leonard Williams and Muhammad Wilkerson along the defensive line. Over the summer, it appeared that the Jets were preparing to part ways with Wilkerson so that they could give big bucks to Richardson down the line. Now, their preference may have shifted after Wilkerson inked a five-year deal worth $86MM, including $37MM in guaranteed money. The Jets exercised Richardson’s fifth-year option to keep him through 2017 at a below-market rate, but it’ll cost them if they want to retain him beyond that point.