Reaching into the Week 11 mailbag for a New York Jets question:
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@RichCimini: It would be tough to get fair-market value for Sheldon Richardson because, as you note, he almost certainly will be hit with a personal-conduct violation stemming from his July arrest. The quicker it gets resolved, the quicker the Jets -- and other teams -- can assess the risk-reward of keeping/trading him. Do you think teams will be tripping over themselves to trade for a player who could start the season with an eight-game suspension? I don't know if it'll be eight games, but that seems within the realm of possibility.
If I were the Jets, I'd explore trade possibilities, if only to gauge the market. Richardson is a terrific talent, one of the top, young defensive linemen in the game, but he has a checkered record and he will difficult to re-sign when his contract expires after the 2016 season -- or after '17, assuming they exercise the fifth-year option. Based on Mike Maccagnan's comments the other day, Richardson still isn't back in the organization's good graces. He's taking positive steps, but he's not there yet.
Richardson has a higher ceiling than Muhammad Wilkerson, and he's a better fit in Todd Bowles' one-gap scheme because he's an explosive, up-the-field penetrator. But (and this is key) he's a bigger risk than Wilkerson because of his off-the-field baggage. If I had to pick between the two, right now, I'd pick Wilkerson and deal Richardson, but only if I could get a first-round pick in return. They could try to trade Wilkerson, but it's extremely difficult to move someone with the franchise tag. We're assuming, of course, he will be tagged after the season. Bet on it.
In the end, my hunch is that both players will be back in 2016, along with Leonard Williams, but maybe not nose tackle Damon Harrison (a free agent). They'd have approximately $23.4 million in cap dollars committed to Wilkerson, Richardson and Williams, but it would be palatable for a year. That would buy them another year to sort it out and maintain an excellent defensive line. But like I said, if someone calls and asks about Richardson, I'm listening.
What's your opinion?
[tweet]667724805978894336[/tweet]
@RichCimini: It would be tough to get fair-market value for Sheldon Richardson because, as you note, he almost certainly will be hit with a personal-conduct violation stemming from his July arrest. The quicker it gets resolved, the quicker the Jets -- and other teams -- can assess the risk-reward of keeping/trading him. Do you think teams will be tripping over themselves to trade for a player who could start the season with an eight-game suspension? I don't know if it'll be eight games, but that seems within the realm of possibility.
If I were the Jets, I'd explore trade possibilities, if only to gauge the market. Richardson is a terrific talent, one of the top, young defensive linemen in the game, but he has a checkered record and he will difficult to re-sign when his contract expires after the 2016 season -- or after '17, assuming they exercise the fifth-year option. Based on Mike Maccagnan's comments the other day, Richardson still isn't back in the organization's good graces. He's taking positive steps, but he's not there yet.
Richardson has a higher ceiling than Muhammad Wilkerson, and he's a better fit in Todd Bowles' one-gap scheme because he's an explosive, up-the-field penetrator. But (and this is key) he's a bigger risk than Wilkerson because of his off-the-field baggage. If I had to pick between the two, right now, I'd pick Wilkerson and deal Richardson, but only if I could get a first-round pick in return. They could try to trade Wilkerson, but it's extremely difficult to move someone with the franchise tag. We're assuming, of course, he will be tagged after the season. Bet on it.
In the end, my hunch is that both players will be back in 2016, along with Leonard Williams, but maybe not nose tackle Damon Harrison (a free agent). They'd have approximately $23.4 million in cap dollars committed to Wilkerson, Richardson and Williams, but it would be palatable for a year. That would buy them another year to sort it out and maintain an excellent defensive line. But like I said, if someone calls and asks about Richardson, I'm listening.
What's your opinion?
