Monday, July 25, 2011

Jets Options in Free Agency

With the lockout finally being over (thank God), teams will finally be able to shape their rosters and begin their quest to opening day 2011. Of all 32 NFL teams, no one needed the lockout to end more so than the New York Jets. Whether it be young Pro Bowl calibre players like Santonio Holmes, Antonio Cromartie, Braylon Edwards, or Brad Smith, or 2010 starters like Shaun Ellis, Brodney Pool, or Damien Woody, the Jets have more work to do in free agency than any other team before they attempt to make good on Head Coach Rex Ryan's Super Bowl Guarantee.

To keep it simple, lets outline a basic plan of what General Manager Mike Tannenbaum will be able to do with respect to the cornerback and wide receiver position.

Option A
Resign Santonio Holmes and Antonio Cromartie
-Holmes is the best wide receiver on the market and is apparently the Jets #1 target to re-sign. Cromartie was very up-and-down last season but you can't find a better #2 cornerback in football. Both guys will be looking for mega contracts. To replace Braylon Edwards, the Jets could look to sign Randy Moss or Plaxico Burress. The Jets have been the only team to be linked to Randy Moss since the season ended and Rex Ryan has always spoke highly of Moss' ability to strike fear into opposing defenses, even late in his career. Some more food for thought....Santonio Holmes and Randy Moss share the same agent. Keep an eye of Plaxico Burress as well.

Option B
Resign Braylon Edwards and Antonio Cromartie
-If the reports are true, Dan Snyder is ready to throw a boatload of cash at Santonio Holmes. In effect, this could put Holmes out of the Jets price range. Braylon Edwards has stated multiple times that he will take a hometown discount to return to the Jets next season. If the Jets were to lose Holmes, one would think that Plan B would be to lock up Braylon immediately. The Jets would also save some money by choosing Edwards over Holmes and could use the left over cash to improve the team elsewhere.

Option C
Resign Santonio Holmes and Braylon Edwards
-Obviously, this move would indicate that disappointing 2010 first round pick Kyle Wilson would have to step in and be a starter this season. It is hard enough to play opposite of Darrelle Revis, let alone doing it when you've never been a starter before. On the other hand, the Jets offense would be as dynamic as any in football. Holmes and Edwards complement one another as good or better then any other wide receiver duo in all of football. Both are young, super talented receivers who bring speed and play making ability to the position. Lets face it, the NFL is now a quarterback friendly league. Winning a Super Bowl now requires an above average passing game. Having Holmes and Edwards for the next 4-5 years will go a long way in making Mark Sanchez one of the games top quarterbacks.

Option D
Sign Nnamdi Asomugha and Randy Moss/Plaxico Burress
-To be blunt, Jets fans that think Nnamdi Asomugha is going to take a big discount to pair up with Darrelle Revis are dreaming. Asomugha is arguably the best free agent of the last decade and teams are going to pony up for his services. However, if the Jets were to let Holmes, Edwards, and Cromartie all leave through free agency, they would have the necessary dough to pair up Asomugha with Darrelle Revis, creating arguably the best cornerback tandem in NFL history. The downside? It seems a bit outrageous to have close to 40$ million dollars of a team's salary cap tied to two cornerbacks, not to mention the fact that Asomugha is going to be 30 years old next season. In addition, losing Holmes and Edwards would scale back the Jets offense tremendously. Signing Randy Moss/Plaxico Burress would help somewhat, but make no mistake about it, the Jets offense would take one step forward and four steps back without it's top two receiving targets from a year ago.

My prediction? Option A