FLORHAM PARK -- Jets defensive end Sheldon Richardson, who is scheduled to become a free agent after this season, wants no part of mimicking Kevin Durant.

Richardson said Wednesday at Jets minicamp that he hopes to finish his career with the Jets -- and that he doesn't simply want to chase a championship with an established franchise.

Durant, of course, has drawn criticism lately for doing that with the Golden State Warriors.

"I don't like it personally," Richardson told NJ Advance Media. "But he got a ring out of it. He was already an elite athlete, and he wasn't getting it done where he was at, I guess. So he felt like he needed to leave, and it was his decision. Would I have done that? No, I wouldn't have. It's a little different for me. I wouldn't do it, but I don't blame him for doing it."

Richardson said the Jets' current tear-down and rebuild attempting has "not at all" impacted his desire to finish his career with the organization that drafted him 13th overall in 2013.

"What can I say?" Richardson said. "I have a love-hate relationship with New York. They're the team that drafted me. I wasn't one that pictured myself bouncing from team to team. I still want to be a dominant force. I started here. I want to finish here. That's just how I look at it.

"I'm just stuck here. I'm not stuck here, but I just like it here. I'm not saying I'm allergic to going anywhere else, but I just love being around here in this organization. I love being the underdog. It's easy to go to an established franchise for a guy in my position and just go chase a ring. But I'd rather try to make one here. I'd love to try to make one [with the Jets]."

It comes as little surprise that Richardson would say this. But ultimately, most players' decisions in free agency are dictated by money. And there is nothing wrong with that. NFL players have small earning windows in which to maximize their value, while playing a dangerous sport.

But the Jets could enter next offseason with about $80 million in salary cap space. Even though they gave defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson a lucrative contract last summer, they can cut him after 2017 and create $11 million in cap space, with $9 million in dead money attached.

The Jets have many needs to address outside of their defensive line, which also features a talented, third-year pro, Leonard Williams. Plus, they have attempted to trade Richardson multiple times in recent months.

So while Richardson getting a long-term contract from the Jets next offseason seems unlikely, it is not impossible. A lot depends on how Richardson performs this season, and if he can avoid off-field troubles.

Richardson's ultimate goal remains winning a Super Bowl. But he is willing to be patient as the Jets rebuild. They appear very far away, right now, from being a title contender.

"That's what I'm in this for," Richardson said of winning a ring. "I'm in it to win it all. I don't want to leave here. I want to do it here. I'm a very patient person. Anything I've gotten is because I've earned it. Good and bad. I want to be here through thick and thin.

"I had a 70-year-old guy walk up to me and said he's been a [Jets] season-ticket holder since he was like 25. He said he just wants to see one more [championship] before he goes. Just things of that nature, you hold onto. I got attached a little bit. I'm a longevity guy."

Richardson is clearly saying all the "right" things as he enters a contract year, even though he insisted this is how he truly feels.

What matters most -- for Richardson's value entering free agency -- is how he performs this season. After having 3.5 and eight sacks in this first two seasons, when he was NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and a Pro Bowler, he had five and 1.5 sacks the past two years.

Richardson has also been suspended by the NFL in each of the past two seasons (positive marijuana tests in 2015 and a high-speed police chase arrest in 2016). Last season, he was suspended by the Jets for one quarter of a game, due to tardiness issues. And he posted a vulgar Snapchat video that drew criticism from coach Todd Bowles.

All of those factors have combined to lower Richardson's trade value from what it would've been after 2014, when he looked like a prodigious defensive lineman. He still has time, this season and beyond, to get his career back on track. Will it happen with the Jets, or elsewhere?

Darryl Slater may be reached at dslater@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DarrylSlater. Find NJ.com Jets on Facebook.