Tag: Sheldon Richardson

Report: Sheldon Richardson turned down more money from Browns to sign with Vikings

Sheldon Richardson actually signed with the Minnesota Vikings for a little less than what he was offered from the Cleveland Browns, according to a report.

The Vikings had enough money to reunite with one of their former players this offseason: Sheldon Richardson, who arrives after a solid stint with the Browns.

What’s interesting is that — according to Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com — Cleveland actually offered more money than Minnesota, and Richardson still chose the Vikings for a little less. Cabot also wrote:

“Richardson wanted to return to the Browns, but it was more about principle after they terminated his contract in April to save $12 million on the salary cap. A little bump in the salary may have brought him back, but the Browns set their price and stuck to it. Richardson admitted that he didn’t get the deal he wanted from the Browns to return, and is now reunited with Vikings coach Mike Zimmer, for whom he played in 2018.”

Richardson might not start for the Vikings, but the Minnesota defense is still getting an important player. He is stylistically a lot different than the two presumptive starters on the interior: Michael Pierce and Dalvin Tomlinson. So as a rotational player who can rush the passer, Richardson is a great fit.

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Vikings 2021 salary cap update after signing Sheldon Richardson

Despite all the signing the Vikings have made in 2021, Minnesota still has some cap space to work with.

Minnesota has made numerous splashes in free agency this offseason. Early on, the Vikings nabbed Dalvin Tomlinson. The team followed that up by adding CB Patrick Peterson.

This week, the Vikings made another free agency signing official, announcing the acquisition of DT Sheldon Richardson. Richardson reunites with his former team and adds a pass-rushing skill set to a defensive line that appeared to be lacking that.

And based on what the Vikings have for 2021 salary cap space, the team might not be done there. According to Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune, Richardson has a $2.316 million cap number this year. Richardson’s $10 million base salaries in 2022 and 2023 are voidable as well, so that money is pushed back to a later time.

With Richardson having void years on his deal, the Vikings have roughly $14 million to work with for 2021 salary cap space.

Personally, I think the team should try and find a defensive end, assuming the team is playing a 4-3 next season. No matter what, though, the team at least has the option of improving the 2021 roster slightly.

Vikings agree to terms with DT Sheldon Richardson

The Minnesota Vikings have been busy this week, signing former Vikings player Sheldon Richardson.

On Monday morning, the Vikings were in the midst of an uncertain situation with their star edge rusher Danielle Hunter.

Not only that, but it seemed hard to figure out where pressure in the pass rush would come from outside of Hunter in 2021.

A lot can change in a 24-hour span. Minnesota agreed to terms with Hunter on a reworked deal. Hunter, then, showed up to mandatory minicamp today.

The Vikings even added a penetrating three-technique player as well: Sheldon Richardson. Our own Jack Day of Vikings Wire was the first one to report that a reunion with Richardson and the Vikings could be happening.

Richardson tallied 4.5 sacks the last time he played for Minnesota, which is the same total he posted with Cleveland in 2020.

With Dalvin Tomlinson and Michael Pierce on the interior, the Vikings seemed to be lacking in pressure from the three-technique spot. Richardson changes everything — the Vikings can maybe even utilize him as a starter at times.

Andrew Krammer of the Star Tribune suggested a 3-4 for the Vikings in 2021. In that scenario, Minnesota would go with Pierce at the nose, Richardson and Tomlinson as the 3-4 defensive ends and Hunter and Barr on the outside edge spots.

That’s a possibility now, because the Vikings were actually able to free up more cap space for 2021 with the move to give Hunter a reworked deal. Minnesota still has some question marks headed into the 2021 season. But the team has done a good job of answering two big ones this week.

Ex-Browns DT Sheldon Richardson signs with the Vikings

Richardson returns to the Vikings, where he played prior to joining the Browns

Any crack in the door for the Browns to bring back Sheldon Richardson has now been slammed shut. Richardson has officially signed with the Minnesota Vikings.

Reports of Richardson’s desire to join the Vikings surfaced on Monday, a day before Minnesota kicks off its minicamp. Richardson played for the Vikings in the 2018 season, a year before he signed with the Browns.

Cleveland released Richardson earlier this offseason in a cost-cutting measure. The veteran defensive tackle had one year remaining on his three-year, $39 million contract he signed with the Browns before the 2019 season. Both parties indicated there was potential for a return to Cleveland, but that is no longer on the table.

The 30-year-old Richardson was an effective starter in his two years in Cleveland, notching 126 total tackles and 7.5 sacks. He proved capable of playing in multiple spots along the line and was an energetic presence on the sidelines and in the locker room.

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Report: Sheldon Richardson decides he wants to “move on” from Browns

The Cleveland Browns had hoped that Sheldon Richardson would return after being cut this offseason but a report today says he’ll “move on.”

The hope that Sheldon Richardson could return to the Cleveland Browns seems to be fading quickly.

The Browns cut Richardson in April, saving themselves over $12 million in salary-cap space. At the time, there was some hope that Richardson could return to the team if things worked out a certain way.

The additional salary cap space could have helped Cleveland sign other free agents or rollover to help them retain some of their players coming due for extensions.

Recently, a report said that Richardson and the Browns had a mutual interest in a reunion which sparked hope from the fanbase.

Today’s report says that Richardson has decided to “move on” from his former team:

The Browns hoped to re-sign Richardson, 30, after releasing him in April in a salary cap move, but he’s decided he wants to move on, a league source told cleveland.com.

If accurate, today’s report likely shuts the door on a return. Richardson has had a chance to survey the league, including talking to the Browns about a return, for two months at this point. Deciding to move on now would be based on the information that was gathered during that time.

Another report today is that Richardson could reunite with the Minnesota Vikings.

The Browns added a number of players to their roster that can help fill in the middle of the defensive line. Andrew Billings returns from the COVID-19 opt-out list while Malik Jackson was added in free agency. In the NFL draft, Cleveland added Tommy Togiai and signed undrafted free agent Marvin Wilson.

Along with Myles Garrett, free-agent additions Jadeveon Clowney and Takk McKinley, who primarily play defensive end, can move inside to help make up for the loss of Richardson.

Larry Ogunjobi, who primarily played nose tackle for the Browns, is also gone from the 2020 interior defensive line room.

The Browns defense could almost completely turnover in 2021 with up to eight new starters around Garrett, Denzel Ward and Ronnie Harrison. Today’s report that Richardson will not return would guarantee three new starters on the team’s defensive line.

Kevin Stefanski on Sheldon Richardson: ‘I hope that there’s a scenario’ he returns to the Browns

Kevin Stefanski on Sheldon Richardson: ‘I hope that there’s a scenario’ the recently released DT returns to the Browns

The Browns made a difficult decision late last week to cut starting defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson. It’s a move that has proven largely unpopular with the fans and received some raised eyebrows around the league.

But the book on Richardson in Cleveland might not be fully written just yet.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski left the door open for the team to bring back Richardson in 2021. In his pre-draft press conference on Tuesday, Stefanski noted it was a salary cap-related move and nothing against Richardson the player. In fact, Stefanski sounded very much like he hopes Richardson doesn’t take it too hard and returns to Cleveland.

“As a coach, I want to keep everybody. There are salary cap restraints, as everyone understands, and these are hard decisions,” Stefanski said. “I hope that there’s a scenario (to bring him back).”

It’s not a move that would appear to be imminent, not with the NFL draft next week. Richardson has yet to publicly indicate what his plans are for 2021 since his release.

Stefanski did note that recently signed Jadeveon Clowney can fill at least some of the snaps lost with Richardson’s release. Richardson played over 775 snaps on defense in each of his two seasons in Cleveland, almost all of them at tackle. He registered 64 tackles and 4.5 sacks in 799 reps in 2020.

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Bengals should have interest in Sheldon Richardson after Browns waived DT

The Cincinnati Bengals should look to take a cut player from an AFC North rival.

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The veteran cuts ahead of the NFL draft capable of helping the Cincinnati Bengals continue.

This weekend, the Cleveland Browns cut defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson, a former first-round pick who has been a key cog in the line rotation for years.

And the Bengals might want to take a look.

Richardson was a cap-saving move for the Browns, as he was due about $11 million next season and the team signed Jadeveon Clowney. He’s still a solid run-stuffing force who also put up six sacks last year with a 71.1 PFF grade.

At 30 years old, Richardson would be a nice bit of rotational insurance over the next few seasons. He’d reunite with Larry Ogunjobi and make a pretty formidable front with D.J. Reader.

Maybe Richardsson gets more money on the open market than the Bengals are willing to pay, but he’s just another example of high-profile cuts that should happen before and after the draft.

On a similar note, the Bengals should also keep an eye on another recent cut after the Las Vegas Raiders waived Maurice Hurst.

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Sheldon Richardson, Maurice Hurst make interesting late additions to free-agent DT market for Cowboys

In need of some help at defensive tackle, perhaps the Cowboys will look to make a move on one of the recently released players.

With less than two weeks remaining before the NFL draft, free agency has become a back-burner plateau recently. Teams are always looking to improve their roster but most clubs are now content to roll into the amateur-talent acquisition phase and then circle back around on the veteran market once they see what they could get under the rookie salary cap and locked in for four years.

In addition, most veterans still on the market will figure into the compensatory formula for the 2022 additional picks, so teams with projected amounts of picks are extra weary of cancelling those out. A big exception, players who are released don’t count in the formula. Over the last 24 hours, two players have had their contracts cancelled and they just happen to play a position the Cowboys could be looking to upgrade. Defensive tackles Maurice Hurst and Sheldon Richardson are free to sign with any NFL club.

Richardson, 30. has been associated with the Cowboys previously. as his original team (New York Jets) tried to trade him to Dallas at the 2016 draft deadline. Instead, Richardson played the season out before being traded to the Seattle Seahawks on his fifth-year option season. He notched just one sack in 15 games for Seattle, but did turn in an overall solid performance. Across the board.

While he never again reached the pass-rush heights of his early days with the Jets when he totaled 18 sacks in 47 games played across his first three seasons, he did pick it back up over his one season in Minnesota and the last two years with the Browns.

A former first-round pick, a three-technique when in a 4-3 alignment as opposed to a 5-tech with the Jets 30 front, has 12 sacks over the last three years while missing only one game. At 6-foot-3, 294 pounds, he could be a rotational fit for a position that does not have much history of producing. The veteran leadership is missing, third-year Trysten Hill is coming off an ACL and hasn’t proven much. For now, Dallas may be relying on a big Year 2 jump from 2020 third-round pick Neville Gallimore. With Hill able to play some nose tackle (Gallimore too), Richardson may be ideal for the Cowboys if the price is right.

Hurst was not released but waived. Because he was still under his rookie contract, all 32 NFL teams had the opportunity to place a claim on picking up his remaining contract. That 24-hour window has now closed and he is a street free agent.

At 25, Hurst’s best football may still be ahead of him. He has eight career sacks and 17 QB hits across 40 contests after being a fifth-round selection out of Michigan. He dropped to the fifth-round due to a congenital heart defect that was discovered during the NFL scouting combine that season.

He dealt with a positive COVID-19 result last season and missed another four games due to injury.

His pass-rushing skills are there, though he’s been a bit of a liability against the run, something the Cowboys are struggling to correct on their own.

Still, he should be someone of interest to Dallas. His price, which will obviously come in at less than the $2.1 million he was set to earn as the final year of his rookie contract, should not be prohibitive in any way, especially since it won’t impact the comp formula.

Richardson could still command a substantial salary perhaps, with many more skins on the wall. He was set to make $12 million in the final year of a three-year, $37 million agreement. Most associate his release as a direct result of the club agreeing to terms with Jadeveon Clowney for big money earlier in the week.

Perhaps in a depressed market, this close to the draft, Richardson could come cheaper than expected. The Cowboys currently have around $7.5 million of space remaining before signing free agents and with considerations of room needed to operate during the season.

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Reaction to the Browns releasing DT Sheldon Richardson

Exploring some possible reasons for the Browns releasing DT Sheldon Richardson

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The news of the Browns releasing starting defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson rocked the Cleveland sports scene on Friday. Everyone wants to know why the Browns and GM Andrew Berry dumped a good starter at a position where the team lacks appreciable depth.

Without knowing exactly what the Browns were thinking yet, here are some possible reasons, in spitball/brainstorm fashion.

Salary cap

Even after signing Jadeveon Clowney this week, the Browns were still in fine shape on the salary cap front. They had just over $10 million available to work with, ranking 16th in the NFL. Creative accounting in Clowney’s contract made his impact on 2021 as negligible as possible. This was not the Browns cutting Richardson because of Clowney, not financially anyway.

But it could be about the cap beyond 2021. Several key Browns players are due contract extensions in the coming years, including Baker Mayfield, Nick Chubb and Denzel Ward. Rolling over extra money from 2021 can help soften the future blow of any of those potential extensions. It also would allow Berry and the Browns to expand the shopping list and open up more of the premium section of the free agent store next year, when scores of quality players will be coming off one-year contracts.

Contract extensions

Perhaps one of those contract extensions is imminent? It’s been quiet on the contract front lately. The team still hasn’t picked up Mayfield’s fifth-year option.

Several have speculated that this is the reason, including the contract gurus at Spotrac,

It’s certainly a plausible explanation. What’s interesting is the timing. There is no impetus to release Richardson before announcing any extensions, unless the team doesn’t want the awkward optics of it appearing a (hypothetical) extension for Chubb or Mayfield pushed Richardson off the roster.

The plan with Clowney

We’ve all generally considered Clowney as an EDGE, a hand-in-dirt defensive end or a more stand-up style pass rusher a la Oliver Vernon. But Clowney has proven he can align more inside and be very effective there throughout his career.

He’s never done it full-time, of course. It’s sort of the inverse of Richardson, who could capably play on the edge for some reps in each game, a trait the Browns occasionally tapped into. Clowney does have that kind of versatility when he’s healthy. Remember, the team has veteran Malik Jackson, too.

Another addition brewing

There are some quality free agent interior linemen still available. Among the notables:

  • Geno Atkins
  • Jurell Casey
  • P.J. Hall

Any of those players would be less expensive than Richardson and his $12 million cap savings from his release. None are as productive or have the chemistry with Myles Garrett and the rest of the team, however.

The Raiders released Maurice Hurst this week. He was Las Vegas’s top-graded defensive player in each of the last two seasons per Pro Football Focus and is a younger talent of similar playing style to Richardson.

Adding any of those players before the 2021 NFL draft is an interesting choice, but it would help explain the impetus for parting ways with Richardson.

 

Browns release starting DT Sheldon Richardson

The Cleveland Browns have released starting DT Sheldon Richardson

The Cleveland Browns have released starting defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson after two seasons. The team announced the move on Friday afternoon.

Richardson was due a salary of nearly $11 million in 2021, the final year of his three-year contract he signed with Cleveland as a free agent prior to the 2019 season. Releasing Richardson saves the Browns $12 million in salary cap room for the upcoming season.

The move comes in the wake of the Browns signing free agent defensive end Jadeveon Clowney to a one-year, $8 million contract that could escalate to as much as $10 million. Clowney does offer some ability to play inside at Richardson’s tackle spot.

The 30-year-old Richardson started 31 of 32 games over the last two seasons and performed well. He registered 126 total tackles, 7.5 sacks and forced four fumbles in his time in Cleveland.