Will Sheldon Richardson Stay or Go?

Sheldon Richardson's name is likely to pop up on a lot of teams' radars this coming offseason, assuming that the latest coming out of Seattle is true.

A report by Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network says that the team is not likely to place the franchise tag on defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson, meaning that he will likely become a free agent when the free agency window opens. However, it's still possible that the Seahawks could sign him to a long-term deal before then.

The non-franchise tag makes sense, as the Seahawks have not used the franchise tag on any player since 2010. Many have speculated that they would've broken the trend for Richardson, since the Seahawks would like to keep him for next year.

Richardson came over in the trade from the New York Jets before the season began. That trade involved sending wide receiver and fan favorite Jermaine Kearse and a second-round pick back to the Jets.

Meanwhile, the two sides will continue working on a deal. Hopefully, this'll be a deal that pleases both sides, as opposed to the Washington Redskins, who don't want to franchise-tag Kirk Cousins and pay him all the money they don't believe he deserves.

For the Seahawks, paying Richardson $14.5 million or even more for next season is not something they want to deal, hence why they probably don't want to franchise tag him and pay him that much.

The Seahawks are usually good with money and they know the players that deserve that type of money. Russell Wilson, Doug Baldwin, and Richard Sherman are a couple of names that are worth a lot of money. Sheldon Richardson, however, is not worth it, at least not yet.

If the Seahawks actually try to sign Richardson to a deal for more money than what other current players are making, it will probably create a precedent that forces other players on the teams to ask for more money. The Seahawks definitely don't want to create that trend, which means Richardson may have to make less than some of the current players on the team. It's understandable as well.

It's anticipated that the Seahawks could create more cap room to sign Richardson with the pending releases of Jeremy Lane and Cliff Avril. Both players have not done well this season and the Seahawks are most likely afraid they're starting to recede.

The bigger question: Are the Seahawks willing to part ways with Richardson if a deal doesn't work out? Yes. They don't need to rely on Richardson anyway anymore. He was brought in at the beginning of the season in hopes to resurrect what is still a great defensive line. However, they failed to make the playoffs and Richardson's play this season has played a part in it. They don't want to pay him the money he asks for because they'll most likely believe he doesn't deserve it. Good teams like the Seahawks understand what players are worth nowadays.

It's more likely that the Seahawks just decide to part ways with Richardson. It didn't necessarily work out with the Seahawks. They didn't make the playoffs, despite injuries to their defensive starters, and it's more than likely they can find somebody to replace that through the draft. They could pay that person a lot less too.

I think Richardson is a terrific player and a great defensive presence. It doesn't mean that he's going to be the difference-maker in one place. He wasn't that either with the Jets or the Seahawks. Maybe somewhere else, like Atlanta. If Richardson wants to stay with Seattle, he's going to have to take money they think he's worth and not the other way around. I would like to see him stay with Seattle, but I think it's highly more probable he goes elsewhere. Who knows? Maybe he can get more money in other places, because the Seahawks know how to work with money and they can replace people who can take a lot less money.