You do realize that Curtis Martin had more carries 4 times in his career including 04 the last time we had a quality team than Leon and Jones combined last year? Both of them are under contract, both of them will play this year or sit out or work out a deal. Jones will be cut next year. Leon will either work out a deal this year or next year or be franchised next year and signed or traded.
I can see your point, but I disagree. He's our best weapon, and deserves to be paid as such. If he plays out his contract, we'll lose him in free agency for sure. Pay the man, Tanny.
I agree he's valuable, and Jet fans also add in that he's exciting. But his lack of touches raises a question whether he's really "our best weapon" or anybody else's (and of course right now that best label would arguably be by default). This makes him a perfect candidate to be tagged, as long as the Jets are satisfied that's the way they want to go.
If you look at productivity vs. touches, imagine what could happen if he got the ball twice as much. I think it is time we give him what he has worked for and lock him up. I want him to retire a Jet.
There is no reason for the Jets to grossly over pay for Leon based on some idle threats that are simply a negiotating tool. If he got the ball twice as much he might wear down and his numbers might very well fall? Hard to predict what might happen if he was featured more? He is productive the way we use him. He is worth alot but not an unlimited amount. This is simply a negiotation and I wouldn't freak out over posturing. Jones is a different story. Much less value and he already has been paid for this years work. He is being a total tool.
I think this sounds like the Jets' FO got frustrated in negotiations and decided to sit back and wait until his contract expired to decide whether they'd want to hit Leon with the franchise tag. If I were Leon in that situation, I would hold out, too.
I want to see him used more on the O. It's great that he's a threat from a lot of different areas, but to get $6M a year, I want to know he's a credible full-time threat on offense, and then take him out of ST plays altogether.
Tagging him is a bad idea. It's only one season, and most players take that as an offense. There is no reason at all to let it come to that when they can pay him what he's worth. As far as touches, I'm hoping he's more integrated into the offensive plan than he was when Mangini was running things. Shotty knows what he has in Washington, and my hope is that he uses him more. The main point of all of this is that, IMHO, Leon needs to be paid what he is worth, and it should happen now. He's earned the right to a nice contract.
Nobody wants him to be overpaid. He should be paid what he is worth, though. Every team has players that have high salaries, and Leon Washington should be one of those players. He is, without a doubt, our best offensive weapon. Simply put, we need him.
am i the only one who thinks they should backload the contract for the no cap period? this means we can sign him, give him what he deserves, and not be held hostage from making more moves this year. i think this would make all sides happy.
If our best offensive weapon isn't Sanchez, this franchise isn't going anywhere with or without Leon Washington. I agree he should be paid what he is worth, but that takes negiotations particularly as you point out based on last year his value appears to be at a premium to what it should be on a balanced offensive team that is going places in the playoffs. If we are dependent on Leon Washington being our only and most explosive offensive player the Jets are a pack team far into the future. If we pay him a premium to value that will hold this team back from adding the kind of offensive weapons that we need to put around Sanchez to make the Jets a SB contender.
Yeah, I do not want to overpay. I kinda think that Washington being the team player that he is, will try to be fair about how this gets done. My opinion on Jones is very different. The guy's wheels aren't going to last for ever. Jones, being brought in as a veteran probably isn't making a horrible buck as it is. I might play some hardball here, but to what degree?
1: sign Sanchez 2: re-sign Leon 3: re-sign Mangold 4: re-do D'Brickshaw 5: IF there is some money left and IF it turns out we don't need a WR give an extra 500k to TJ This is what our priorities are in this off-season... consider also that next year we'll have a lot of cap freeing up (if there is a cap) so maybe we'll re-do Mangold and D'Brick next season.
Argue with me all you want, and I know you will, but this all started when they caved in to Coles and guaranteed the last two years of his contract..now they all think they can bitch and get what they want too. Way to go Tanny..
