I've been keeping a pretty close eye on FA and all I ever heard about Verner was our alleged "interest" in him that never turned into anything more to my knowledge. I watch ESPN and the network and check up on the latest buzz on here but I haven't got into all of the interviews and twitter feeds this year, so maybe someone knows something I don't. Here is something that was very apparent and mainstream, we targeted DRC, Revis and Vontae Davis (By targeted I mean we heavily and actively pursued signing them) We didn't achieve signing any of those three players I just mentioned. Here are their contracts: Revis - 2 year, $32mil but a complicated structuring makes it in essence 1 year $12mil contract DRC - 5 year $39mil, $14mil guaranteed, $7.8mil/year Davis - 4 year $36mil, $20mil guaranteed, $9.75mil/year Verner - 4 year $26mil, $14mil guaranteed, $6.5mil/year Here's what Verner was saying when FA opened: Alterraun Verner - “[Playing for Rex and the Jets] could be a great fit” So can anyone tell me what happened here? Why were we so cold on Verner who was the cheapest FA out of the bunch, one who actually expressed interest in playing for us, is the youngest of the four, and I think could be the most talented minus Revis.
It wasn't a "good fit" Davis was our guy and then the Colts brought him back before we could get him. We didn't pursue Revis We made an offer for DRC but didn't bend at all
WE don't know if "we" pursued Revis or if we ignored him completely. WE don't have to know and if we did the people "we" were negotiating with would gain an advantage the team doesn't want them to have. Multiply that by every free agent there was the slightest bit of interest in and you'll see how much BS gets floated every day.
I don't think the Jets targeted any CB particularly heavily this off-season. I think they might have made inquiries about one or two guys during the free tampering period and I think they brought in DRC to kick the tires and see if he was available at a reasonable rate. Other than that I don't think they made any real overtures to veteran FA CB's. They had one guy in a for a visit and they only did that when it appeared that his market had declined as the dust settled.
By your definition of targeted, only Davis might be the only one that qualifies. It seems the Jets set a hard line with DRC and never even worried about Revis. Davis was the one according to the reports they really wanted, but he resigned with IND. In the same report, it was said the Jets didn't really go after Verner because they felt he was better off to play in a cover 2 defense than as a man to man corner. I'll try to find who had the report.
I don't believe the Jets have talked to anybody about why they did or didn't approach a given player in free agency. I think most of the "interest" and explanatory reports were either complete BS or were from third parties explaining what they thought happened.
Verner is not a good fit in the Jet's system. I'm not surprised only a few of you Guys (displacedfan & JAJF) understand it.
Doesn't matter. As of right now we're still think at CB, which was a weak link on our team last season. So much for upgrading and utilizing cap space.
The Verner one seems like the most logical though, how he plays CB vs what the Jets/Rex look for in a CB. DRC seems to be a money move, but that is more speculation. The Jets haven't really had leaks on their top targets either. It's just speculation based on fans/media on what they need
The thing about the Verner one that maybe rings true is that of all the CB's Verner took the lowest offer at $6.5M a year. That's the kind of price where the Jets might have been interested, maybe a bit lower than that. I really think that except at WR the Jets were bargain hunting this year as the main plan. I think the Austin Howard move forced them to pay a bit more for his replacement than they would liked to. Once Howard left Idzik likely went for a known quantity at RT and paid a bit more than he otherwise would have.
What happened? Our idiot accountant parading around like a gm forgot it was signing day. He was going at his own pace.
Verner isn't the type of corner Rex needs. Not to mention he was a #2 corner last year so he wasn't lining up against teams best wrs. Davis would have been a great fit for us and he's the corner Im really mad we never signed. I suppose he wanted to return to Indy though.
Whether or not we did or did not try to acquire certain players the fact is the media made claims that their sources said this was indeed what was going on. That may be true, it may not be. All I know is the media made such claims. I'm just trying to figure out what happened with Verner. No matter if he's not the "exact" fit we are looking for or not the guy can flat out ball and is only 25 years old. Not to mention if we could've locked up a top notch CB for 6.5/year that's just asinine to pass up on. I want to use the term pro bowl CB but that term just means so little these days with who they're letting go and not go. The fact is as of right now we're looking at starting a 2nd year CB that looked real shaky last season and a #3 CB (take your pick who) opposite him.
He graded as the No. 4 CB free agent behind Revis, Talib and DRC. " 2013 Grade: +9.5 2013 Snaps: 1032 After a steady 2012 season, Verner started off 2013 on fire. He graded positively in each of the first six games. Although he wasn’t able to maintain that pace, he still finished 12th overall in our grading. Quarterbacks garnered only a 55.8 rating when throwing his way (the fourth-best mark in the league). Verner also finished tied for second in passes defensed with 14 and tied for third in interceptions with five, this also shows he has the ball skills to be a top cover corner." Seems like a good fit to me.
You don't bring in DRC to kick the tires. You bring him in to PITCH him. Was there really a doubt that he was going to get paid? I never heard that.
