Jets’ Sheldon Richardson needs to move on
The New York Jets are going to suck this season. In fact, suck might be a gross understatement for what New York is going to put its fans through for 16 games. Right now, a good argument can be made that the Jets have the worst non-expansion roster since the 1977 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and considering the Detroit Lions went 0-16 a decade ago, that’s saying something.
Still, defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson is keeping them in the news by talking about his old teammate with Gang Green, wide receiver Brandon Marshall. Richardson, who has accused Marshall of being a locker room cancer in the past, went on ESPN’s Michael Kay show on Monday afternoon and blasted Marshall again.
“That man knows what he did to the locker room,” Richardson said Monday on the Michael Kay Show on ESPN New York 98.7. “I was the one who addressed it and I would still address it to this day. If he can’t come out [in the] media and tell ’em what he did and how he actually quit on his team way before the season was over, that’s all in itself.”
At some point, Richardson needs to both look in a mirror and move on from Marshall. Richardson has had a bevy of his own issues, including being caught on Snapchat before New York’s Week 15 game against the Miami Dolphins, saying he could care less, and that he didn’t want to play. He was also arrested in 2015 for driving an absurd 143 miles per hour in Arizona. He was also charged with resisting arrest and other traffic infractions. This all on the heels of being suspended for four games thanks to a violation of the league’s substance abuse policy.
Perhaps Richardson is right, and Marshall was a major problem. That said, he certainly hasn’t been the leader that young players such as Leonard Williams and rookie Jamal Adams should be looking up to.
New York is clearly trying to tank the season with hopes of landing a franchise quarterback in next April’s draft, whether it be Josh Allen, Josh Rosen or Sam Darnold. Trading Richardson would help in that pursuit, and maybe give the defensive star a new lease on life with a change of scenery.
The Jets have to hope that Richardson becomes a more mature player and person this year, something the franchise has patiently been waiting for. If that doesn’t materialize, look for New York to allow their 26-year-old to walk in free agency, where he could command one of the biggest deals of the next offseason.
