Seahawks trade Jermaine Kearse to Jets for DT Sheldon Richardson

UPDATE: The Seattle Seahawks have confirmed that they have traded wide receiver Jermaine Kearse and second- and seventh-round draft picks to the New York Jets in exchange for defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson and a seventh-round pick.

The trade was first reported by 710 ESPN Seattle’s Gee Scott.

An original version of this story is below.

We have traded Jermaine Kearse & 2018 draft picks to the NY Jets for DT Sheldon Richardson & 2018 7th rd. pick.

📰 | https://t.co/6fEFj57Eyt pic.twitter.com/cnLbd93QmB

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) September 1, 2017

The Seahawks are sending wide receiver Jermaine Kearse to the New York Jets in a trade. The news was first reported by 710 ESPN Seattle’s Gee Scott.

The Seahawks are getting defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson in return for Kearse and Seattle’s 2018 second-round draft pick, and the two teams are also trading seventh-round picks, per ESPN.

How Seahawks’ trade of Kearse impacts defense

Kearse, 27, has spent his entire football career in the Seattle area. Born in Lakewood, he played for the Washington Huskies in college and worked his way up from the Seahawks’ practice squad to their No. 2 receiver after going undrafted. He also has made some of the more memorable catches in Seahawks history, several of which have come late in postseason games.

Kearse agreed to a three-year, $13.5 million deal prior to the 2016 season, but his production dropped as he caught just 46 percent of his targets last season, resulting in 41 receptions for 510 yards and one touchdown.

Richardson, 26, was a first-round pick in 2013 out of Missouri. He won Defensive Rookie of the Year that season and made the Pro Bowl the next, but multiple suspensions since 2015 have contributed to disappointing performances over the past two years.

The Seahawks have been down in depth on the defensive line since second-round pick Malik McDowell suffered injuries in an ATV accident.

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