Bart Scott could be a better addition due to his (relative) youth. The salary demands likely depend on what Baltimore decides to shoot for: preserving the legacy of their greatest player by ensuring he retires in the purple and black, or keeping their future success in check by tying up Scott. Personally, who I'd rather have depends on our draft strategy. If we are in a position to draft a solid ILB prospect in the first round, I'd rather have Ray.
Ray Lewis could be leaning toward Jets Now that Rex Ryan, the former defensive coordinator for the Ravens, is running the show for the New York Jets, he may attract one of the league's nastiest linebackers in Ray Lewis. Lewis becomes an unrestricted free agent this offseason and teams can start negotiations on Feb. 27. And Lewis sounds interested. Very interested. (New York Post)
If we dont have the money to sign him then he can be interested all he wants but wont be on this NYJ squad next season!
I don't think the Jets can do anything until the Favre thing plays out. Unless of course he agrees to work for free. Then I personally would sign Ray Lewis to help me put down a vapor barrier in my crawl space. I'm dreading that and could use the help.
They'll have the money. I expect some big roster changes to occur. My guess is you will see the following released prior to March 1st. Brandon Moore - $5.4 Million savings David Barrett - $3.7 Million savings Shaun Ellis - $4.6 Million savings David Bowens - $2.6 Million savings Other Possibilities Bryan Thomas - $550k savings Chris Baker - $2.1 Million savings James Dearth - $950k savings Drew Coleman - $530k Wayne Hunter - $627k
Barton is a Free Agent going into the season and isn't in the projected 2009 salary cap numbers. I always liked him and am going to miss him, but if we could get Ray Lewis...oh my!
edit: ^damn you're quick! It seems to me that Harris is our Lewis. Don't we need a better cover guy at Barton's spot?
http://www.northjersey.com/sports/raylewis020609.html Ray Lewis: Playing for Jets would be great opportunity Friday, February 6, 2009 BY ERIK BOLAND NorthJersey.com MCCLATCHY NEWS SERVICE Ray Lewis called the possibility of playing for the Jets and former Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan a "great opportunity." Then again, he used the same phrase in describing Dallas — and also referred to his current location, Baltimore, as "my city." The Ravens linebacker, who is an unrestricted free agent, is in Honolulu for the Pro Bowl this week. When he sat down with the NFL Network on Thursday for an interview, he was asked about several scenarios he might pursue as a free agent — including the Jets, who are coached by Ryan, who knows Lewis well. "That's a great opportunity, reason being, we've been together for years," Lewis said. Lewis said the two share the same "mentality." "That relationship by itself is a match because of the relationship me and Rex have always had," said Lewis, 33. "That opportunity by itself looks attractive, seems attractive." Lewis called playing in the media capital of the world part of the "upside" of New York, along with a Jets team he called a "young" one "that has a lot of talent." "You try to wiggle No. 52 (Lewis' uniform number) in that equation somewhere, then that team goes from being OK to 'let's go win this,'" Lewis said. "That scenario by itself is always attractive." Linebackers Bart Scott and Terrell Suggs also are Ravens free agents and also have expressed their admiration for Ryan. Free agency begins Feb. 27. In the interview, Lewis was asked about playing in Dallas, home of enigmatic receiver Terrell Owens. "I could definitely play with T.O.," Lewis said. "I see Dallas as a great opportunity. America's team." He also expressed his affinity for Baltimore, where he has spent his entire 13-year career. "There's nothing that I don't love about my city," Lewis said. Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti hinted during his end-of-season news conference that he hoped Lewis would be open to taking a hometown discount to stay in Baltimore. Lewis said Thursday that will not be the case. "I don't play less, so if you don't play less, you don't take less," he said. "That's just life." Of course, that means Lewis will command a hefty salary, money the Jets, who are over the salary cap, currently don't have available. Quarterback Brett Favre, should he retire, would give the Jets cash to make at least one big free-agent splash. In the dog-bites-man news of the day, Favre's agent, Bus Cook, told 1050 ESPN on Thursday that his client had yet to make up his mind. "I know Brett is deer hunting every day," Cook told 1050. "That's all I know. Once he decides what is going on, he'll tell me." And, presumably, the Jets shortly thereafter. Notes & quotes: Ryan announced two additions to his coaching staff. Kerry Locklin, formerly the defensive line coach at Fresno State, will fill the same position with the Jets. Ryan also decided to retain Mike Devlin as assistant offensive line/tight ends coach. The team also is expected to name Matt Cavanaugh the new quarterbacks coach in the near future.
http://www.nypost.com/seven/02052009/sports/jets/ray_lews__jets_attractive_option_153700.htm RAY LEWIS: JETS 'ATTRACTIVE' OPTION By JUSTIN TERRANOVA February 5, 2009 -- The Jets have brought in the brains behind the Ravens dominating defense. The braun might not be far behind. Ray Lewis talked with the NFL Network while in Hawaii for the Pro Bowl, and said the Jets are an "attractive" option with Rex Ryan, his defensive coordinator in Baltimore, now Jets head coach. "That's a great opportunity, reason being we've been together for years," Lewis said. "We won a Super Bowl together and the mentality that we both need to sit down and understand each other and understand what's best for our defense and what's best for our team. "That relationship by itself is a match, because of the relationship me and Rex have always had. That opportunity by itself looks attractive, seems attractive." RYAN'S STAFF COMPLETE Lewis will be an unrestricted free agent and could move on from the team where he spent all of his 13 seasons. "It sounds right, you know if something does happen where I don't go back to Baltimore, then the Jets want me," Lewis said. "Baltimore is my city, that's where I grind at. That's where I've been my whole life." But Lewis downplayed talk of a hometown discount and said he'd "let the business side take care of itself." Lewis, 34 in May, said he believes that if Brett Favre is the quarterback for the Jets, they would have a better chance of bringing in the linebacker. And at the very least, that situation has to be resolved. Favre's agent said today the 39-year-old quarterback has no timetable for a decision. "That scenario you almost have to see where it goes to see what they're doing as an organization," Lewis said. "Then that's when you can jump in and pick up where they're going to leave off. If they're saying we are going to after Brett, then that's when I am going to make a phone call." Lewis said he believes no one has to worry about him being able to handle the pressure of New York. In fact, he said he would thrive on it. "I don't feel no pressure, not about playing football," Lewis said. "Football is too easy for me to worry about pressure. Bottom line, when you have the media capital like that, the upside of it is what's more attractive than anything. "You can take a young Jets team that has a lot of talent across the board when you try to wiggle (No.) 52 into that equation somewhere or other then that team goes from just being OK to let's just win this. That scenario by itself is always attractive." Lewis said he has yet to talk to Ryan since he became the head coach of the Jets. Earlier this offseason, teammate Terrrell Suggs suggested he, Lewis and Bart Scott could remain with the Ravens if they give the team a discount. "We really don't want to play without one another because we've been playing together for so long," Suggs told Sirius NFL radio, according to the Baltimore Sun. NFL teams can begin to apply franchise tags to their players starting today. Lewis made 117 tackles with 3½ sacks and three interceptions for the Ravens last season. The Jets have David Harris and Eric Barton as the middle linebackers in their 3-4 defense. Barton also becomes a free agent later this month.
Yes and no. It'll go away, but when they give projected Salary Cap numbers and, say the Jets need to cut $13 million or whatever it is, his salary isn't included in that number because he technically isn't part of the 2009 team.
If the Jets are going to make that one FA splash this year, I would prefer it to be someone who could be a building block for the team, not a 33-year-old player whose best days are behind him. We've seen this far too many times - Leonard Marshall, Ronnie Lott, Steve Atwater - to name just a few.
1) I hope we can free up some cap space, pronto. 2) I REALLY hope most of the FA pool feels the same way Ray does....I don't want the same feeling we got a few years back when Antoine Winfield flipped us the bird at the last second.
