Rumors surrounding a potential Sheldon Richardson trade have swirled since last year with nothing coming to fruition. That doesn't mean teams weren't trying to pry him away from the New York Jets this offseason.
Richardson told Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News he was asked to take a pay cut to make a trade work. The defensive lineman specifically mentioned the Seattle Seahawks and Washington Redskins as suitors.
"It's a business, bro," Richardson said. "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."
Richardson is set to make $8.1 million in the fifth and final year of his rookie contract.
According to Mehta, trade partners attempted to "low-ball" the Jets to take Richardson off their hands.
New York owns a glut of defensive linemen after re-signing Muhammad Wilkerson to a massive extension last year and selecting Leonard Williams with the No. 6 overall pick in 2015. With Richardson set to reach free agency next offseason, the Jets could look to move him again before the trade deadline.
The 26-year-old, however, hopes New York gives him a long-term extension to keep its stout defensive line intact during the team's rebuild.
"That's their decision," Richardson said of getting a multi-year deal with the Jets. "Would I pay me? I'd pay me ... I would [keep Williams, Wilkerson and him], because you can save money in other places with a stout defensive line."
