This week in The National Football League it is all about The Baltimore Ravens and The San Francisco 49ers as they are preparing for Super Bowl 47 next Sunday, but don’t tell that to The New York Jets. Jets owner Woody Johnson finally finished his search for a new general manager as John Idzik was tabbed and now Johnson has flirted with the notion of trading four-time Pro Bowl cornerback Darrelle Revis. Prior to the ACL injury that prematurely ended Revis’ 2012 campaign, he was not only the best cornerback in The NFL, but he was also The Jets best player. Revis is entering next season in the last year of his contract and he will be looking to get compensated. Revis’ trade value is down after his knee injury, but The Jets must find a way to infuse young talent on this team through the draft and parting with Revis could be a start.
Idzik was brought in and he was asked to retain head coach Rex Ryan which could be a recipe for disaster. When new general managers are brought into an organization they tend to hire their own head coach, but Ryan was already on The Jets payroll. According to ESPN’s John Clayton, The Jets are projected to be $19.4 million over the salary cap for next season. You can see the writing on the wall that veterans such as linebackers Bart Scott and Calvin Pace could be released.
Ryan and former Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum mortgaged the team’s future in 2009 and 2010 for moves that have not paid off. The Jets gave up multiple picks in The 2009 NFL Draft to select quarterback Mark Sanchez and running back Shonn Greene which left “Gang Green” with only three draft picks that season. 2010 saw The Jets lose more draft picks to acquire wide receivers Braylon Edwards, Santonio Holmes, and Antonio Cromartie which left team with only four picks that year. The Jets made The AFC Championship Game in both seasons, but they were unable to advance to The Super Bowl.
More than any other major sport in this country it is imperative to hit on your selections in The NFL Draft. Sanchez has taken a step back as a quarterback as he threw 18 interceptions last season to only 13 touchdowns. Sanchez has become a lightning rod for criticism by fans in New York, but he was given an extension after the team acquired quarterback Tim Tebow last offseason via a trade. Greene was a 1,000-yard back for The Jets in 2012, but he only averaged 3.9 yards per carry. Edwards’ best season with The Jets was in 2010 when he had 904 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns. After he was re-acquired by The Jets last season after being released by The Seattle Seahawks, Edwards only had 125 receiving yards in 3 games. Holmes suffered a Lisfranc foot injury just four games into the season, but he began to clash with Sanchez in 2011 over his receptions. Cromartie made his second Pro Bowl appearance after filling in for Revis as The Jets top corner.
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