Report: Sheldon Richardson Turned Down Bigger Offer From Browns

What We Know

Richardson was released by the Browns after playing two seasons with the team.

In March 2019, Richardson signed a three-year contract valued at $37 million.

From the time the Browns released Richardson, it seemed the door was always open for his return.

As recently as June 6, Mary Kay Cabot reported that Richardson may rejoin the team.

She said:

“The Browns parted ways on good terms with Richardson, with the agreement that he could be re-signed later in the offseason. There’s been interest from other teams in the ninth-year pro, but he enjoyed his two seasons here, and might prefer Cleveland to starting over again elsewhere.”

Richardson performed well in Cleveland so performance was not the cause of his release.

Richardson Chose To Rejoin The Vikings

Perhaps Richardson did not want to start over with a new team, but he was comfortable rejoining a former team.

He opted to sign with the team he played for in 2018, the Minnesota Vikings.

No one knows what the Browns offered Richardson in comparison, but per Mary Kay Cabot’s reporting, it was more money than the Vikings signed him for.

She further stated:

“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.”

Conclusion

Richardson had his reasons for not coming back to Cleveland.

We will never really know the full story or the dollar differential between the Browns and Vikings’ offers.

It is unlikely that either Richardson or GM Andrew Berry will comment on this story.

The Browns have a deep roster at defensive tackle that hopefully picks up the slack upon Richardson’s departure.