Sheldon Richardson declines Browns offer, plans to sign elsewhere

Despite making Sheldon Richardson a cap casualty earlier this year, the Browns wanted to bring him back. However, it looks like the two-year Cleveland contributor will not return to northeast Ohio.

They made the defensive tackle veteran an offer to return, Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer tweets, but Richardson is planning to continue his career elsewhere.

Richardson, 30, bid farewell to the Browns earlier this year. That made sense, considering the team released him in mid-April. That move saved the Browns around $12M in cap space, but Cleveland kept Richardson on the radar and wanted to retain him at a lower price. The longtime D-line starter entered the offseason with one season remaining on his three-year, $37M 2019 Browns accord. He remains in search of a new team.

The former Defensive Rookie of the Year certainly could have helped the Browns, who have devoted most of their offseason resources to retooling their defense. At D-tackle, however, the team has lost talent. Prior to Richardson’s release, four-year starter Larry Ogunjobi signed with the Bengals. The team regrouped and signed Malik Jackson, doing so while Richardson remained under contract, but then cut Richardson.