With the 13th overall pick on the 2013 draft, the Jets selected defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson from Missouri.

The addition of Richardson will raise a lot of questions about how the Jets plan to utilize their defensive front this season. How will last year’s first round pick Quinton Coples, 2011 first rounder Muhammed Wilkerson  and 2011 second rounder Kenrick Ellis all fit in together? The Richardson pick is as sure a sign as any that the Jets plan to run a 4-3 defensive front.

According to various sources, the Jets did try to trade out of this pick, but were unable to find a partner. Meanwhile, Idzik told the media the team “stuck to their board.

“We selected two of our Top four players on our board,” Idzik said. “Period.”

Okay then.

(This guy hated the pick).

Alabama CB Dee Milliner

With the #9 overall pick in the 2013 draft, the Jets have selected defensive back DeMarcus “Dee” Milliner from Alabama.

Milliner was a consensus All-American in 2012 and is considered to be one of the best defensive players in this year’s draft. Several evaluators have even called Milliner the “next” Darrelle Revis and the comparison will most certainly be made over and over again now that Revis Island has relocated to Tampa Bay.

Milliner’s stock fell a bit after he underwent surgery on a torn labrum in March and there there was some talk that he might miss training camp due to the injury. However,  Milliner told several sources that he’s “ahead of schedule” and will be “back well before training camp.”

My two cents? This pick has Rex all over it. I thought that Idzik would be calling the shots here but it seems that Rex had his say after Woody and Idzik traded away his boy. Please don’t misunderstand what I am saying: Milliner is a tremendous talent, the best corner in the draft and will make a lot of plays in New York, but few suspected the Jets would go with a corner here based on their many needs. Surely we will hear more about how the arrived at this decision in the coming days.

Seems like you can’t log on to Twitter or Facebook or watch a single program on ESPN or NFL Network without hearing constant speculation and debate over the future of Darrelle Revis, right? Yeah. And free agency hasn’t even started yet.

Welp, since all the cool kids are doing it, I guess that means it’s time to talk about Darrelle Revis. Let’s begin.

Rumors and Sources and Stuff: The 49ers and the Falcons have been rumored to be in the market for the corner for weeks now, though those rumors have since died down.

There was also some speculation earlier this morning that perhaps the Denver Broncos had interest in trading for Revis, but that has been also disputed by both Jeff Legwold of the Denver Post and ESPN’s Ed Werder.

But one other team has emerged as a possible destination: The Philadelphia Eagles.

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane, General Manager Howie Roseman is preparing to make a  deal to acquire Revis. The Eagles not only have the draft picks and the cap space to acquire Revis, they also have a need at cornerback (Asomugha was recently released and Rodgers-Cromartie is a free agent). Several sources have questioned the validity of the reports, but for now, the Eagles have emerged as the primary suitors.

I still wouldn’t rule of the Tampa Bay Bucs as a possible landing spot. Though there have not been any reports to suggest the Bucs are interested or pursuing the corner, they do have a need at the position and the cap space (more than $30 million!).

Revis and His Camp Are Pissed, Woody Johnson is Evil(Apparently):

In addition to a variety of rumored landing spots, there have also been a plethora of reports suggesting Revis’ camp is frustrated with the Jets and wants a resolution sooner rather than later, likely because they fear that with so many free agent corners flooding the market – and Revis still rehabbing from the ACL –  the market will quickly dry up and Revis won’t get the pay day he is seeking.

» Continue reading “As Free Agency Approaches, Revis Watch Heats Up”

By now, you’ve probably heard that the Jets brought in former Jacksonville Jaguars and Miami Dolphins (for about a second) QB David Garrard for a workout on Thursday.

According to Manish Mehta, Garrard explained that the workout “went great, but still working out the particulars.”

Sources have confirmed the workout went well and ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting that the QB ”anticipates putting a deal together” with the Jets as soon as the team can work out some of their salary cap issues (they are approximately $8 million under the cap). Thought both teams are feeling optimistic about a deal, Garrard has received interest from other teams.

If signed, Garrard will become one of several quarterbacks to compete for the starting job in training camp, including along with Sanchez, McElroy, and Simms. Brady Quinn is also “expected” to be signed.

The Jets were in play for Garrard last year before he signed with the Dolphins, even under a very different GM and offensive system. He was cut by the Dolphins before the start of last season due to an injury, but prior to the injury, he was considered to be #1 on the depth chart.

Garrard is inexpensive and IF healthy, he could very well make his way to the top of the roster in training camp, making the move low risk-high reward.

If things don’t work out for Garrard in New York, I am sure he could have a very successful career as a commentator for NFL Network, sharing secrets about his experiences in New York and criticizing what they do on a daily basis. This is just a casual suggestion, no idea where I this idea even originated from.

Safety LaRon Landry

While all of Jets nations waits on baited breath for new and relevant Darrelle Revis news to analyze, another major off-season task is being handled by the Jets front office: Trying to re-sign Pro Bowl safety LaRon Landry.

According to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News, the Jets have had preliminary discussions with Landry’s agents and would like to re-sign the safety.

Landry’s asking price is expected to be around $6 million a year, which could really be a stretch for the cap-strapped Jets.

Though the Jets may be planning to re-sign Landry, he is expected to test the free agent market which begins March 12th, per Rich Cimini.

In other news, the Jets’ plans to have competition at the quarterback position may mean having as many as FIVE quarterbacks on the roster, including free agent QB Brady Quinn. According a report from Chris Mortensen, the Jets plan to sign Quinn to compete with Sanchez, third-year back-up Greg McElroy, Matt Simms and a TBD free agent in camp.

Mortensen also noted that Tebow is not expected to be part of their plans at the quarterback position (duh).

Update: Mort has since clarified that was originally called a “report” is actually closer to speculation, though it’s worth mentioning that Quinn and new quarterback’s coach David Lee have a close relationship.

The Jets have officially announced the release of four veteran players: linebackers  Bart Scott and Calvin Pace, safety Eric Smith and offensive tackle Jason Smith. They also announced that they have waived TE/FB Josh Baker.

Insert Cant Wait joke here.

These moves save the Jets approximately $31 million, putting them about about $6 million over the projected $121.1 million salary cap. However, recent reports indicate that the 2013 cap may move up to $121.5 million.

With the messy salary cap situation (and 2012 performances), the release of Bart Scott, Calvin Pace, Eric Smith and Jason Smith was simply a foregone conclusion. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport is now reporting that the Jets are planning to mee with Scott’s agent this week in Indianapolis to see if the two sides can agree on a reduced salary, so there is a possibility that he may return to the team. Also worth noting that some people suspect that Scott plans to retire, but I have not seen any reports on this theory.

The Jets are still going to need to make several more cuts, even if only to plug in holes with mid-tier free agents and sign draftees. They also have to make decisions about several players, including RB Shonn Greene, S LaRon  Landry, TE Dustin Keller and RG Brandon Moore,among others. (Reports indicate the Jets plan to meet with Keller’s representatives at the combine to talk about a contract. The franchise tag is not expected to be an option).

For old times’ sake…

Last week, the New York Giants  released several high-profile players from their roster as part of a major off-season salary cap purge, including LB Michael Boley, DT Chris Canty and RB Ahmad Bradshaw.

While the Jets and Giants have been considered rivals for some time now, the intracity rivalry hasn’t kept Bradshaw from considering making the switch to the other New York team.

Bradshaw told NFL Network:

“Whoever I feel that I can get a better chance of playing and helping which team. The New York Jets are a team that I’ve kinda been thinking about, just to stay home, not make a big move from New York. It’s just right across the street from where I am now.” 

At the moment, I am interpreting this as a leverage move and an attempt to create buzz. I am sure that Bradshaw would like to stay in New York, but I’m thinking he would certainly prefer to be resigned to his former team before joining a new one.

The Jets would be wise to give Bradshaw a look as, when healthy, he is one of, if not the best running back on the free agent market. However, I firmly believe the Jets will look for a new running back via the draft rather than pay for one in free agency  Bradshaw’s asking price would be out of their price range, considering their well-known cap problems). Moreover, Bradshaw, while tough, has battled a variety of injury problems.

Chris Canty also made similar comments about the joining  Jets the day of his release. Canty is original from the Bronx.

Free agent defensive end Osi Umemyiora has expressed sentiments similar to Bradshaw, saying he would consider the Jets and the Falcons as possible destinations. (My take? Jets cannot afford Osi…dream on). 

What do you think of Bradshaw’s comments about joining the Jets?

UPDATE (4:45 pm): According to Brian Coz of The New York Post, per a source, the Jets are not ruling Bradshaw but “he would have to come very cheap for them to consider it.”

UPDATE (8:10 pm): Per Manish Mehta, the Jets are not interested in signing Bradshaw.

The 2012 NFl Awards will be announced  tonight, Saturday, February 2nd, at 9 pm EST on CBS. The Aerys NFL staff recently made their picks for the awards on Aerys Offsides, which you can view here. We may not be one of the 50 members of the Associated Press priviledged enough to vote on the actual awards, we’re still pretty awesome.

The Green Room’s 2012 NFL Awards Picks

MVP:

Kristine- Adrian Peterson. Vikings don’t even sniff the playoffs without him, while the Manning-less Broncos stillreached the playoffs last season. Our Vikings writer, Kim Sherayko, makes the case for the All Day in her latest post on Skol Patrol.
Sydney – Peyton Manning

Comeback Player of the Year:

Kristine – Peyton Manning. This category was tailor made for a season like Manning had.
Sydney – Adrian Peterson

Offensive Player of the Year: Kristine – Adrian Peterson

Defensive Player of the Year: Kristine – J.J. Watt

*Rookie of the Year:

Kristine – Russell Wilson. I doubt Wilson wins tonight, but he should.
Sydney – Russell Wilson

Offensive Rookie of the Year: RGIII

Defensive Rookie of the Year: Luke Kuechly

Coach of the Year: Bruce Arians/Chuck Pagano

Executive of the Year: John Elway

*Please note, we added three rookie categories because we just felt like it. 

The Green Room’s Super Bowl Picks

Kristine – I think the Niners are simply a better team than the Ravens, though it’s certainly hard to discount how well the Ravens (and Joe Flacco) have been playing throughout their playoff run. I always make my picks on where I would put my money and I see the dynamic play of Kaepernick, the Niners running game and defense and Jim Harbaugh as being the better choice. It will be a good game and very close –  likely coming down to one play late in the 4th quarter – with 2-3 point margin. Niners  27 – Ravens 24

Sydney - 49ers

For more thoughts on the Super Bowl, check out this week’s edition of “The Blue and Green Review.”

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The night before John Idzik’s introductory press conference, Jason LaCanfora of CBS Sports filed a report alleging Jets owner Woody Johnson and the Jets organization are “open” to trading star cornerback Darrelle Revis.

Johnson, according to the report, wants to explore trade options for Revis rather than risk losing him in free agency next season (his contract voids after this season and they are unable to franchise tag him). The report also suggested that Johnson does not have confidence that the team will be able to re-sign Revis – due in large part to their cap situation – while other reports have even suggested that Johnson might be sick of the headache that Revis and his contract demands has created.

If you’re not familiar with much about the team, Revis’ contract, and his history with the Jets front office (and honestly, not sure how you couldn’t be as his highly publicized holdout was documented on HBO’s Hard Knocks), the idea of trading Darrelle Revis probably seems insane. But there is much more to this situation than simply concluding that the Jets are foolish to trade away their best player in franchise history.

We have since learned several things about the Revis trade talks:

• It is very much a real thing and not a rumor. In fact, the Jets (under then general manager Mike Tannenbaum) actually considered trading Revis before his season-ending injury this season, according to Mike Cannizzaro of the New York Post. The Jets are now in what sources around the league are calling the “exploratory” phase — that is, they are asking around, gauging interest and possible compensation for any potential trade. Obviously, no trades can be made until after the new league year begins in early March, but the idea of this happening is not just a rumor. This is something that is absolutely being discussed.
• Not only is there genuine interest from other teams (duh), but the trade market is being described as a “gold rush.” CBS Sports’ Mike Freeman wrote about the trade market for Revis on Friday morning, quoting one NFL GM who likened it to a “gold rush.” Freeman cites New England (not gonna happen), San Fran, Green Bay, Denver, Seattle and Buffalo (also not going to happen, Jets are trading him to a divisional rival) as several of the teams having interest.
• Revis doesn’t just want to “get paid,” he wants a premiere contract — Think Chris Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald and Calvin Johnson money. Also according to Cannizzaro, Revis hopes to surpass Mario Williams deal – a six-year, $96 million contract, the richest contract ever for a defensive player. That’s a lot of money that realistically, the Jets probably cannot offer. They are already between $20-30 million over the cap – depending on what you read – and even with some of the cuts they are expected to make (Scott, Pace, Smith, etc), there will not be sufficient room to pay Revis the kind of money he is asking for.
• The Jets are seeking multiple draft picks as compensation for Revis. Many have speculated that the Jets would like to get at least a first round draft pick in exchange for Revis, but with the value of first round picks at an all-time high – not to mention the fact that Revis is coming off of an injury – the Jets may not get the king’s ransom they are hoping for. Another over-looked factor is the reality that any team that trades for Revis this spring will also inherit his current contract (which expires after the 2013 season) and may also be forced to pay him the premiere contract he is seeking, unless they too, want to see him test the free agent market. It would take a certain kind of team with a certain kind of cap situation to do that.

ESPN’s Rich Cimini outlines the pros and cons of a hypothetical Revis trade in his latest post on ESPN.com. For as much crap as we all give Rich, it’s a really great read, with a good explanation of many of the points I have highlighted here.

My take on this is simple: Darrelle Revis is special and without question one of, if not THE best defensive player in the league. I have always been an avocate for players seeking deals that they deserve and Revis certainly deserves to be handsomely rewarded for his product on the field. But the Jets have a lot of needs and not a lot of cap space at their disposal to fill them, and I can completely understand why trading a player like Revis – who would command a lot of compensation – would be a good move for the future of the team. (For more on my thoughts, check out this week’s edition of Flight 5 Live. We had a in-depth discussion about the Revis trade rumors and recapped the Idzik’s presser from Thursday. You can watch a replay of the episode here).

As is the case with just about everything that happens with this team, Jets fans seem to want to draw a line in the sand about which side of the Revis debate a person is on. I don’t like the idea of seeing Revis in another uniform, but I see why it makes sense for team in the long-term. That doesn’t mean I don’t like Revis or respect him or enjoy watching him play, I just get it.

So, now it’s your turn to weigh in.

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For what it’s worth, Woody Johnson told reporters on Thursday that he had no idea where the report came from, though he did not deny the report. General manager John Idzik, who started his first day in the office on Thursday, apparently made a phone call to Revis on Thursday – just hours after the corner tweeted that he “speechless” about the rumors – explaining the situation. In an interview with Pro Football Talk on Friday, Idzik said Revis “reacted well.” Take that for what you will.

UPDATE: ESPN New York is reporting that there is a “small segment of the organization” interested in trading Cromartie instead of Revis, per a source. If the Jets were to move Cro, it would need to be fast — he is due a roster bonus the 15th of March. A Cromartie trade would clear $8.2 million in cap space.

Fans have been suggesting the team trade Cromartie for months  as he is coming off his best year.

Due to personal conflicts, I have not have an opportunity to write about the two major hires for the Jets this offseason, new general manager John Idzik and new offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg. I apologize for the delay, but you can listen to my initial thoughts on the hire from Friday’s episode of Flight 5 and yesterday’s edition of  “The Blue and Green Review.”

As you’ve likely heard by now, the Jets have hired Seahawks executive John Idzik as the team’s new general manager. The team announced the hire on Friday afternoon and will hold a press conference introducing Idzik to the media and the fan base on Thursday (tomorrow).

So who is John Idzik and what can we expect from his as the New York Jets general manager?

Idzik spent the last six seasons as VP of football administration with the Seattle Seahawks, where his duties included cap and contract deals and player negotiations and agent communications, among other things. So yes, he is indeed coming from a job where his primary responsibilities fell under “cap and contract” work, but Idzik was also actively involved in player evaluations in Seattle, though that may not exactly fall under his technical job description.

Prior to joining the Seahawks, Idzik spent three seasons as Senior Director of Football Operations for the Arizona Cardinals, helping to build an NFC championship team. He also spent 11 seasons with the Tampa Bay buccaneers Idzik and was promoted to assistant general manager in 2001.

Idzik coached at Duke University, the State University of New York at Buffalo and for the Aberdeen Oilers (Scotland) of the British American Football League.

He is a graduate of Dartmouth College, where he graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, and earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics. At Dartmouth, he also played wide receiver for the Ivy League Champion Big Green. He later earned a master’s degree from Duke University in 1992.

Randy Lange of NewYorkJets.com wrote an excellent blog post about Idzik, explaining his strengths and accomplishments and also dispelling somer rumors about Idzik’s perceived limitations with personnel. I suggest you give it a read if you have concerns about the hire. » Continue reading “John Idzik And Marty Mornhinweg Hires Aim To Get Jets Back On Track”