HEADLINES

Woody Johnson

More Harvin Notes: Cameron, Ryan, Wilson

October 19th, 2014 at 9:14am CST by Rory Parks

More and more interesting storylines continue to arise from the Percy Harvin trade, including a big name player that could have been shipped off to Seattle in return for the explosive wideout. Let’s have a look:

  • We heard several days ago that the Browns, Buccaneers, and Bengals were most interested in a Harvin deal, but the Colts and Broncos were apparently also interested, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Per Rapoport, the Jets, Browns, Bucs, Broncos, and Colts had the best offers.
  • The Seahawks are on the lookout for tight ends, and one of the names that was floated in a possible Harvin deal was Browns TE Jordan Cameron, tweets Rapoport.
  • As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reiterates, the Harvin deal could end up being a very short-term move for the Jets. Since Harvin’s base salary for 2015 is $10MM, the Jets may choose to cut or trade him in the offseason. That decision, Florio writes, will “hinge on whether [head coach Rex] Ryan remains as the coach, whether a new coach would want Harvin, and whether Harvin will accept less than $10 million next year to stay with the Jets.”
  • Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com writes that Harvin’s poor fit in the Seahawks‘ locker room serves as a reminder as to why “some teams shy away from investing big in players until they’ve spent time with them through the draft-and-develop process.”
  • Dave Boling of the News Tribune wonders if the Seahawks have sent a message to the rest of the team by dealing Harvin.
  • Rapoport adds (via Twitter) that the deal heated up Friday morning, after the Jets‘ loss to the Patriots.
  • Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News believes that the Jets dealt for Harvin to help Geno Smith, not Rex Ryan.
  • Ben Goessling of ESPN.com writes that the Vikings have once again been vindicated for the original deal that sent Harvin to Seattle.
  • In a pair of articles, CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora writes that although many Seahawks players like Harvin, his poor relationship with Russell Wilson threatened to divide the locker room, and La Canfora also wonders if this deal will signal Jets‘ owner Woody Johnson‘s return to his high-spending ways.

Jets Notes: Mornhinweg, Cap Room, Ryan

October 11th, 2014 at 12:01pm CST by Ben Levine

Jets owner Woody Johnson has agreed to sell his Manhattan co-op for $80MM, according to Jennifer Gould Keil of the New York Post. That’s a record price for a NYC co-op, and that money could ultimately help out the franchise.

Either way, as ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini notes, the owner would have been forced to open his checkbook this offseason. Franchises are required to spend at least 89 percent of their cap between 2013 and 2017, so the Jets will certainly be spenders in free agency – regardless of the owner’s extra $80MM.

Let’s see what else is going on in the organization, all via Cimini’s mailbag…

  • Cimini believes that offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg has avoided major criticism early on because of the team’s other issues. However, he believes Mornhinweg will face further scrutiny if the offense (particularly quarterback Geno Smith) continues to struggle.
  • The Jets are looking at about $67MM in cap room next season, but Cimini warns that the abundance of money isn’t an indication that the team will spend. The team will likely use the money to add a couple of marquee free agents as well as extend their own players.
  • If Rex Ryan were to be fired after the season, Jim Harbaugh would not be a likely candidate. Instead, Cimini suggests Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, who already has a relationship with general manager John Idzik.
  • Cimini can’t envision both Ryan and Idzik being fired after the season. After all, firing Idzik would be an admittance by Woody Johnson that he was wrong, and the owner has traditionally held his general managers on a relatively long leash.