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Report: Washington Redskins offered to trade for Sheldon Richardson this offseason

By Jacob Camenker

OAKLAND, CA - NOVEMBER 01: Sheldon Richardson #91 of the New York Jets warms up prior to playing the Oakland Raiders in their NFL game at O.co Coliseum on November 1, 2015 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - NOVEMBER 01: Sheldon Richardson #91 of the New York Jets warms up prior to playing the Oakland Raiders in their NFL game at O.co Coliseum on November 1, 2015 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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The Washington Redskins apparently attempted to trade for Sheldon Richardson this offseason. Their attempts were unsuccessful for one major reason.

It was no secret that the Washington Redskins needed to upgrade their defensive line during the offseason. In 2016, they had only one quality starter on the defensive front, in end Chris Baker. However, Baker was a free agent in the offseason, and he ended up leaving after the Redskins didn’t pay him. Still, the team focused on adding new players to help fill the void.

The best player that the Redskins added was Jonathan Allen. Many expected that the rookie would be a top five pick, but he fell all the way to 17 due to concerns about his shoulder. In addition to him, the Redskins signed Stacy McGee and Terrell McClain in free agency, but they are only marginal upgrades at best.

Recently, reports have surfaced that the Redskins were indeed attempting to acquire more talent for their defensive line. According to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News, Sheldon Richardson was targeted by the Redskins in a trade. The rumor was confirmed by Richardson himself, who, per Mehta, said the following:

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"“It’s a business, bro,” Richardson told the Daily News during a lengthy and open discussion about his future. “There was one team that asked me to take a pay cut … and it was Seattle. And Washington too. There were a lot of offers. A lot of good offers. You’d be surprised.”"

It shouldn’t be considered a major surprise that Washington attempted to acquire Richardson. The bigger surprise is the fact that they were not willing to go through on a deal for him.

Richardson would have been a perfect replacement for Baker in the Redskins 3-4 alignment. He is a ferocious pass rusher who has been one of the most consistent players on the field for the Jets. Sure, he comes with some off-the-field baggage, but his play speaks for itself. And perhaps with age, Richardson would become more mature. Or maybe a change of scenery would benefit him.

The fact that the Redskins may have wanted Richardson to take a pay cut seems a bit odd. The fifth year player is on a one year contract worth about $8.1 million as part of his rookie contract. While that may be a steep price to pay for a guy who has previously been suspended, it is not too much money to pay for a quality defensive player. It’s understandable that the Redskins would want to protect themselves in a trade for Richardson, but his price is reasonable when compared to his talent level. Perhaps they were unwilling to open the necessary space under the salary cap to bring him in.

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Of course, there are a lot of things we don’t know. The Jets could have demanded a lot for Richardson. The Redskins may have had to cut a key player to bring Richardson aboard. These issues are likely what made it so the trade wouldn’t happen without a pay cut for Richardson. At the end of the day, it is encouraging to see that the Redskins front office is being aggressive in trying to upgrade their major weaknesses. Perhaps Richardson will be a target of the team in 2018 free agency.

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