Jets trade DL Sheldon Richardson for WR Jermaine Kearse (and picks)
Adam Schefter confirms the deal we'd just heard about:
Jets trading DL Sheldon Richardson to Seattle for WR Jermaine Kearse and draft considerations, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 1, 2017
And the draft considerations?:
In Richardson-Kearse trade, Jets are getting Seahawks' 2018 second-round pick and teams also swapping 7th-round picks, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 1, 2017
That seems like a pretty good return given where we were prior to camp.
The move ends a roller-coaster relationship between Richardson and the Jets. He looked like a future star when they drafted him in 2013 but never quite seemed to reach his full potential even though he went to a pro bowl.
Suspensions, position uncertainty and controversies made his status tenuous and he was due to be out of contract at the end of the season. He had looked great in preseason but ultimately even if he had a good year, committing long-term money to him beyond 2017 is not without risk. It's a great pick-up for the Seahawks though.
As for Kearse, he's not a star but he's been a productive starter for the Seahawks over the past few years and does upgrade a weak unit on the Jets. He's under contract for $2.2 million this year and $5 million next year. He's probably not a kick return option, although he did return some kick-offs in 2013.
There will, of course, be a Kearse in-depth scouting report tomorrow.
Earlier Post
Here's an interesting report - please note that this comes from an unverified account, although he apparently does work for ESPN and has a large following:
My source is telling me that Jermaine Kearse has been traded to the NY Jets. #Seahawks
— Gee Scott 710ESPN (@TheGeeScott) September 1, 2017
There has been some online speculation that the Seahawks might be interested in trading for Sheldon Richardson. Could this be part of the package? We'll see.
UPDATE:
The #Seahawks are trying to work a trade with the #Jets for Sheldon Richardson
— Benjamin Allbright (@AllbrightNFL) September 1, 2017
This report should also be taken with a pinch of salt because Allbright was the source of the rumor about Matt Forté being on the trade block which has been disputed.
Let's treat all of this as a rumor for now.
More as we hear it...