The trade deadline has come and gone, and Sheldon Richardson is still a Jet.
The organization reportedly was "actively shopping" the versatile defensive lineman as Tuesday's 4 p.m. deadline drew near. But in the end, the Jets didn't pull the trigger on a swap.
According to ESPN, however, they called the Dallas Cowboys, who have pass-rushing needs. But Richardson's price tag may have been too steep for owner Jerry Jones.
The 2013 Defensive Rookie of the Year and 2014 Pro Bowler (as an alternate) is due to make a little more than $8 million in 2017 after the Jets picked up his fifth-year option in May. After that, Richardson will be seeking a big-money payday like defensive linemate Muhammad Wilkerson, whom the Jets signed to a five-year, $86-million extension in July after failing to pull off a trade this past offseason.
A league source confirmed to Newsday on Sunday evening that Richardson's name was being circulated to other teams but cautioned that the Jets wouldn't get their asking price because "he is a two-strike guy." Richardson, 25, was suspended for the first four games of the 2015 season for violating the league's substance-abuse policy and missed the Jets' Week 1 game against the Bengals this season because he violated the NFL's personal-conduct policy stemming from a July 2015 arrest for speeding in St. Louis.
After the Jets' 31-28 win over the Browns on Sunday, Richardson told Newsday that he first heard he was being shopped via a text message from a friend that morning.
"It's big business. That's what it is," the former first-round pick said. "We've got a surplus of defensive linemen that are capable of being starters. And they drafted Leo [Leonard Williams], paid Mo ... So we'll see.
"I can't let myself think about it," he added as he walked out of the visitors' locker room at FirstEnergy Stadium. "It is what it is. I'm here on paper until Tuesday. I'm still here. So we'll see."
