Of course it's Manish, so there's no telling if it's all made up, but there are a couple of interesting tidbits. With the exception of the supposed reader questions, the bolding is mine. https://www.nydailynews.com/sports/...0200129-azxbykjy3ncvlk264hy22h44fq-story.html Jets Mailbag: Could the Jets trade Le’Veon Bell and C.J. Mosley in the offseason? By MANISH MEHTA NEW YORK DAILY NEWS | JAN 29, 2020 | 8:00 AM The latest edition of the Jets Mailbag features the cold, harsh truth about Le’Veon Bell and C.J. Mosley’s futures, the best path in the draft and what could have been if the Browns didn’t shock the football world two years ago. What’s the likely trade package for Le’Veon Bell… a third-round pick and cap relief? Any chance to dump C.J. Mosley? — @DavidEaly Here’s the most fascinating element surrounding the Jets’ two highest priced free-agent signings from last year: Neither Bell nor Mosley would be wearing green-and-white if Joe Douglas were the general manager at this time last year. So, I can’t help but chuckle when apologists for Christopher Johnson try to spin that the Jets CEO actually made a smart decision to fire Mike Maccagnan AFTER the draft. The timing was horrible. Douglas was saddled with contracts that he would have never agreed to. Douglas disapproved at the price tag for both Bell and Mosley, according to people in the know. He would have never doled out a four-year, $52.5 million deal (with $28 million in guarantees) for a running back. Douglas also would have bowed out of the Mosley sweepstakes before he got $51 million in guarantees in the first three years of a five-year, $85 million pact, according to sources. And that’s not even delving into Maccagnan’s choices in his final draft. The bottom line: Johnson set the organization back by allowing Maccagnan to shape the roster last offseason only to fire him. If the Jets could somehow find a trade partner willing to give up a third-round pick and take on most of Bell’s money for 2020, Adam Gase and Douglas would personally drive the running back to the airport. But the reality is that the Jets would have to absorb most of the cash owed to Bell to have any realistic chance of trading him. Why do that? It would make little sense. But Gase often times makes little sense. The biggest tragedy (in football terms) is that Bell’s career went backwards with Gase. If the perennial Pro Bowler sticks around for another season — and it would only be one more season before the Jets cut him — it might be much of the same. Dumping Mosley would be exceeding difficult too. How many teams would be willing to take on that monster contract ($16 million in cash and $17.5 million on the cap for each of the next two seasons) for an inside linebacker who missed 14 games last season? What are the Jets doing with the four picks in the first three rounds? —@johnbound73 It’s obviously way too early to know what the Jets roster will look like by the time the draft rolls around. However, Douglas must be careful not to fall into a trap of reaching for need over quality. Sure, teams will take players at deficient areas, but bypassing a superior talent at a position that isn’t necessarily your biggest weakness can be dangerous. The general rule is that you should fill glaring, immediate needs in free agency. You build a sustainable core through the draft. [More Jets] Will Jets linebacker C.J. Mosley be ready for spring workouts after groin surgery? » The belief is that the Jets will add at least two starting caliber offensive linemen in free agency. That doesn’t mean that Douglas & Co. should ignore the line with one of their four picks in the Top 79. But Gang Green could use upgrades at edge rusher, cornerback, wide receiver and linebacker. You can never have too many offensive playmakers for Sam Darnold, either. So that will also be a possibility. The bottom line: Douglas shouldn’t shut the door on any position… except starting quarterback, of course. If Browns took Darnold with the No. 1 pick, who would Jets have taken at No. 3? Baker, Allen, Rosen or Lamar? —@dool_75 When the Jets made their blockbuster deal with the Colts days after failing to sign Kirk Cousins in free agency, Maccagnan did it believing that Baker Mayfield would be a Jet. The Jets loved Mayfield’s leadership, mindset and skillset. They knew that the Heisman Trophy winner would be, let’s say, “challenged” in the New York market. But they didn’t care because he was the best of the remaining options in their minds (ahead of Josh Allen and Josh Rosen). The Jets never considered Lamar Jackson with their pick. They never even brought him in for a private visit in the run-up to the draft. They believed that Jackson was a great kid, but his skillset would simply not translate to the next level as a quarterback. They weren’t alone in their miscalculation. What-if question: How many wins do you think the Jets would’ve had with a healthy C.J. Mosley this past year? I truly believe the Jets would’ve won the first game against the Bills when he left after the first half with a 16-0 lead. —@jasonoki It’s fair to think that the Jets would have had a great chance to win the season opener if Mosley didn’t leave, but it’s far from a sure thing. For argument’s sake, let’s say that the Jets did win that game. Now let’s fast forward to Week 17. The Bills treated that game like a de facto preseason contest. The Jets struggled to beat Buffalo’s jay-vee team. If the Bills would have lost the season opener, they would have had plenty to play for in Week 17. So, Sean McDermott would have played his starters. And the Bills would have beaten the Jets. In the end, Gang Green would have still finished 7-9. If Bell is not traded, how will he be incorporated more into the offense from a coach whom so under-utilized him and seems not to even want him here? —@THENATUREBOY1 That’s a fair question. The simple answer is that Gase needs to be more flexible and realize that he has a great weapon at his disposal. The coach was stubborn last season. Players must conform to his scheme. Smart coaches tailor their schemes around the talent… especially special talent. If Gase adapts, then Bell has a chance to be successful again. If Gase remains rigid, Bell won’t have a real opportunity to show the skills that made him one of the best dual-threat running backs in the past decade.
You probably could've stopped reading right there. No one in the Jets organization would ever tell this jabroni a thing.
The article is most significant for telling us whose ass Mehta is now kissing (Joe Douglas). He takes a dump on Gase, Maccagnan and Chris Johnson but spares Douglas. Typical Metha.
Even he knows that Douglas is the only one worth kissing up to. Mac is already gone, and Gase and CJ will probably be gone in a year.
Bell is untradeable I think. He's slow asf, he sucks, he's making a ton of cash, he wants the ball a lot and he plays a position that nowadays has become almost as interchangeable as the kicking position. He's too high maintenance but the real trade killer is he frickin' sucks. There could be a market for Mosley if he's recovered from the most serious groin injury in NFL history.
I wonder if Mac did. The main reason I posted the article was his comments regarding Baker Mayfield. He is speaking with such certainty about what the Jets thought about Mayfield, it sounds like someone sure was speaking to him.
Douglas disapproved at the price tag for both Bell and Mosley, according to people in the know. Mehta is growing as a sports writer. See the sentence above from the article. Instead of using the worn descriptor: "An unnamed source" (which is Mehta), he now uses: "people in the know" (which is Mehta).
Trading Mosley would be ridiculous...Trading Bell would be a waste as well.Just because Adam Gase doesnt know how to use him doesnt mean trade him.Adam Gase had the 32 ranked offense by the way.
