Trade Sheldon Richardson, Brandon Marshall and Calvin Pryor
Get rid of the age and the troublemakers. This will be the theme for the green and white in a few months.
First on the docket? Sheldon Richardson.
Much like missing the window to move Darrelle Revis to safety, Mike Maccagnan also missed the window to trade Sheldon. He had a shot this past trade deadline, but remained stubborn and wouldn’t accept anything less than a first round pick for the former first round selection.
Now that the window has been missed and Richardson has fully showcased his true knucklehead persona, he’d be lucky to get a third rounder.
But that’s the price the Jets will have to pay for handing over 10 bags full of money to Muhammad Wilkerson and creating this surplus at the interior defensive line spot.
Now, Maccagnan needs to accept whatever he can get for Richardson and clear around $8 million in cap space.
Others on the chopping block include 32-year old Brandon Marshall and safety Calvin Pryor. B-Marsh, while he wouldn’t net much in return (at best, a mid-round pick), would clear at least $6 million in space, if traded.
Pryor’s potential exit is a bit trickier. He’s on the books for another two years and is still on his rookie deal, so his departure wouldn’t save much. His possible departure would bring a headline of ridding the Jets of a poor covering safety, rather than money.
The Jets trading this offseason will sting, but it’s the price to pay for such an aggressive 2015 offseason. It won’t net much in return. It’ll only free up necessary cap space for long-term growth.
