It's business, TJ made noise about holding out last season, so the Jets drafted his replacement. He thus became expendable, and lost the staring match. If TJ sits tight last season, maybe they wait until the 4th or 5th round to find a RB instead of trading up for one in the 3rd. And then TJ isn't as expendable. With Leon, I might agree with you a bit more, but it's a pretty good gamble as well on that front. Tendering him at a second could lure some team into making a reasonable contract offer, which he signs, and the Jets don't have to negotiate with his turd of an agent - just match the offer. If they had tendered Leon for a 1st rounder, you can bet that no team would even bother working out an offer sheet.
Maybe the Jets know he isn't the same and want somebody to sign him. Now I have no way of knowing and neither does anybody else but they would know. If they tendered him that extra 800K (which if they really wanted him around they would have because nobody would have taken him for a 1st) but by leaving him with a 2nd tender they might feel that somebody will take him and we would get that extra draft pick. The other way to look at is that Alvin Keels has proved he is a joke of an agent. This puts the Jets in a position to have somebody else negotiate with him and all we would have t9o do is match the offer and we don't even need to deal with him. Lets somebody else offer Leon fair value and we get to keep him.
Leon had a major injury last year. Yes, bones heal better than ligaments, but this was not a simple crack in a bone. And it was his leg, not his arm. Of course there are major questions as to whether he can return to what he was. That and his agent is a dumbass if he thinks some other team is going to sign him to a big contract. We are just calling his bluff. I'd be happy to have him back next year IF he signs for a reasonable amount. I agree, he isn't old. But he isn't young either. Jones has already been replaced by Greene. Its a matter of getting another RB to compliment him. Yes, injuries happen. Greene could get hurt again, but so could Jones and Washington. It just a bet the FO is taking that Jones has seen his best playing days already. I agree with them, but I understand that other don't. I think it's silly NOT to consider 2-3 years down the road. Unless you want to be the 2010 Arizona Cardinals in a few years.
I don't know about Coles, but there's this gem from the 2007 season. Note, that's 2007: Yep. He was clearly about to be an upper echelon receiver in the league.
I don't think his threatening to hold out had anything to do w/ drafting Greene. They knew they'd have to replace him sooner rather than later. If we are matching the offer that's ok but if we tender him w/ a 1st we hold his rights for one more year then if he's not the same player we can move on. Now if we match an offer and he's notthe same we are stuck. Time will tell on all of these, if they know he's not going to be the same it's a good move but I doubt they do. We don't know if Greene can handle the load as a feature back, we don't know if Leon will be back. We could have kept the strength of the offense together for one more year w/ no cap penalty going forward. Whether Jones and Leon are here or not will not stop them from drafting for the future.
This is spot on. And, if no one offers a contract to Leon, even at a 2nd round tender, we have excellent ground on which to negotiate.
Would be very happy if we let Leon go for a mid 2nd and picked up Toby Gerhart in the mid to late 2nd round.
How can we NOT think about 2-3 years down the road in at least some fashion? If we tender Leon at the higher value and no one bites, we're still stuck with Keels arguing that his client is worth the outrageous contract he proposed last year. Instead, we place a lower tender that all but ensures Leon will get some offers. If he signs an offer that was too high for us, we likely would have lost him next year anyway (and without any compensation). If he signs a reasonable offer sheet, we match it and retain his services. If he does happen to go elsewhere, a 2nd rounder means we can go Golden Tate in the first round and power back with our new 2nd. We've then replaced our need for a durable back for our power running game, our new need for a KR, and our need for a slot receiver. It's a win-win situation.
I guess that's where we differ. The Jets had Jones on the hook for one more season, they weren't in a situation where they had to replace him immediately in 2009. Instead, they traded almost their entire second day to move up for Greene. Yes, and if he comes back from an injury under the 1st round tender with no contract offers, an injury where he broke bone and didn't damage ligaments (a good possibility), then the Jets only have him for 1 year and have to shell out in negotiations with a half-headed agent. It's a gamble. I think it's a smart one, but time will tell if it was the right one. This is a way for Leon to find out what his real fair market value is, and not what his agent lies to him about what it is. And he doesn't have to hit the open market to do so.
I wouldn't mind getting Griffen or Cody in the 1st, either would solidify our dline alot. But Gerhart is who I'm hoping we snag in the second to fill the holes left by TJ/Leon.
If we keep Jones another year, we won't draft a RB as high in the draft this year. We are going to draft one anyway this year, just a matter of where. You are much more likely (not guaranteed, mind you) to get a better RB if you go higher in the draft. 6th round RBs don't usually become good RBs. Look what we got in the 3rd round last year. Bottom line. I think Jones' upside is gone. He's taking up a roster spot. Replace him. By the way, cap or no cap, his salary that is due is a lot of money and the Jets would have to pay it. It isn't funny money they are spending here.
I think Tanny put only a 2nd round tender on Leon for a reason. He probably likes the RBs he can get via the draft (especially in the 2nd round) and may not be sold on Leon's health.
A good organization is always preparing for the future, why qould Jones coming back for ONE more year stop them from worrying about the future? If we tender Leon at the highest level and no one signs him who cares what keels says? leon gets paid alot more than he would have and we are still in control. Who knows if Golden Tate becomes a quality NFL player? We all get too caught up in potential. we know how good and how valuable Leon is yet we are willing to throw him away for the potential of other players. That power back in the 2nd rd may or may not work out- nothing is guaranteed and Greene is a power back that we have right now. How many RBs were taken before Greene last year and he was the best of the drated RBs last year. It sounds easy on paper butit is a huge risk especially when we had a team that was so close to the SB. We had Jones last year and we drafted a RB, him being here or not has nothing to do w/ whether we draft a RB. You can get good players anywhere especially good RBs. Look at the 3 1st rounders last year- none look like anything special yet at a position where you can get an immediate impact. 2 years ago darren McFadden at #4,... You never know. Jones proved he can still play especially since he would have been splitting carries w/ Greene he would have been fine for one more year.
We knew how good Leon WAS. No one knows what we have next year with him after injury, let alone after that. If he didn't get hurt, we wouldn't be having this argument. Why not use this opportunity to either get his offering price to a much more reasonable level or get something for him?
Why are you arguing Jones with me? I didn't say anything about Jones in my post. Really? You don't care what his agent says? Keels has demonstrated that he's going to do everything it takes to get the best contract for his client, including overvalue him. What happens when he seizes upon that first round tender and uses that to inflate contract negotiations? We're not in control. It creates a situation in which we either have to give in to higher demands to keep him or franchise him. I can only imagine what the franchise tag would do to Keels' perceived value for his client... If we tender Leon at a 1st and no one signs him to an offer sheet (which would be VERY likely), we probably lose him next season for NO compensation. This was a calculated risk, and a very smart one. This isn't last year. This is the best draft class in a LONG while. The RBs this year are MUCH better than those last year. We don't know for certain how valuable anyone will be, but Tate is at the very least a safe bet as a returner, and his athleticism makes it much more likely that he'll thrive in the slot for us. There would be more risk involved if we were asking him to step into one of the wideout positions, but we're not. As far as uncertainty is concerned, why not address the uncertainty surrounding Leon? We don't know if he'll return to the same kind of play we saw prior to his injury. So, no, we don't know how valuable and good Leon is. We know how valuable and good he WAS, and MIGHT BE again. I think he comes back, but it's certainly inappropriate to suggest certainty.
I just found this at the bottom of some Cimini crap about Coles coming back. The Tanny response to this: By unloading Rhodes, RB Thomas Jones and CB Lito Sheppard, the Jets dumped more than $20 million in 2010 salary in an uncapped year, fueling speculation they might be tightening the purse strings because of the labor uncertainty and the costs of the new stadium. "Not at all," Tannenbaum said. "Our mandate from Woody (Johnson) is to go win games. If we see an opportunity, we have the resources to go do it - within reason, of course." He noted the high cost of tenders for their restricted free agents, approximately $13 million.
Exactly. It's not exactly high level economics here. The Second round tender is the GM's way of letting the market set the price for the player. And for Leon, it's the perfect way for the Jets to go. (Realistically, if Leon draws a decent, but not over the top offer..the Jets should Match and then kick a little extra $$$$ in a SB to curry favor with Leon, and screw Keels.)
I'll answer that, since he likely meant to direct that one to me. Of course all teams prepare for the future, but when you trade almost an entire day of draft picks for one player, that displays a sense of urgency. By the time the postseason ended, it was obvious that the team was moving on from TJ. Had they spent a later pick on a RB to add to their stable, I doubt we would even be having this conversation. The Jets traded up for a starter to replace TJ within a season, and I think it was a direct reaction to TJ's contract dispute. They were giving themselves leverage in case he decided to hold out. They won.
