Earlier this year, the Jets shipped Sheldon Richardson to the Seahawks in a trade that netted them a second-round pick. With Richardson set to reach the open market in March, the Jets are hoping to bring him back, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News hears. The interest is mutual as Richardson would also like to return to New York. 
The Jets are expected to part ways with Muhammad Wilkerson this offseason and reconnecting with Richardson would give them an instant replacement. The Jets bet heavy on Wilkerson with his expensive five-year extension, but he has been tardy to meetings all season long and his production has sagged dramatically. The Jets figured that Wilkerson was the more stable of the two defensive linemen given Richardson’s off-the-field problems, but it sounds like they’re hoping to turn back the clock and reverse their decision.
Richardson hasn’t set the world on fire in Seattle either, but he has still done more on the field than Wilkerson this year. He has 37 total tackles, one sack, one forced fumble, one pass break-up, and one interception – numbers that show he still has a pulse, but nothing earth-shattering. That means the Jets could sign him to a relatively team-friendly deal with the hope that he can get back to his 2013/2014 form.