Twitter: Cimini & Keels talk Washington
Rich Cimini confirmed via Twitter that the Jets have placed a second round tender on Leon Washington. This comes after Alvin Keels, Washington’s agent, made the announcement on his Twitter page.
Leon Washington’s agent confirms our report from last week: Jets have tendered him at 2nd-round level.
I then decided to take a stroll over to Keel’s Twitter page and found some interesting tweets (one of them seems like an advertisement for his “client”).
I expect there to be a market for Leon during free agency and would say his return to the Jets will be 50/50 at best at this point.
He is ahead of schedule while rehabbing from his week 7 injury. He will be 100% healthy and ready for camp either in NY or elsewhere
I wonder if Keels has started to kick himself for playing hard ball last season with Leon’s contract …
I’m sure there will be a market for Washington but I really hope Leon returns to New York and both parties can come to an agreement on a contract next offseason. Right now the Jets need Washington more than ever considering TJ isn’t in the backfield anymore (and C. Washington certainly hasn’t gained my trust).
73 Responses to Twitter: Cimini & Keels talk Washington
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JesusRevis says:
I am Mike Tannenbaums number 1 fan, but this makes no sense to me whatsoever. Why are we risking losing Leon Washington? This seems like a really dumb move
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SackDance99 says:
Ferraro41,
The Jets would still have a right of first refusal and Leon is not an every down RB. By all accounts, the feeling in NE is that this is a deep draft and that if the Pats want to contend for the next 10 years they have to get younger and better.
If Leon gets a signed contract from another team this year with a deep RB draft and cost concerns among all the NFL clubs because of the looming lockout, I’d be very surprised. Add in that he’s coming off of a serious injury that may leave him rusty or limit his ability to play special teams and I think that the likelihood that he’s not on the Jets is 5%, not 50%.
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Bent says: 50-50? If the deal is low enough, they’ll match. It isn’t likely to be too high.
Keels probably doesn’t realize this is possible though.
Only a poison pill deal will be unmatchable and I am still hopeful that no team will use such a clause now the NFL has decided to ban it in the next cba.
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Bent says:
Bassett actually posted the same story simultaneously but has now deleted that, but it contained one interesting nugget that isn’t here. Dawan Landry, who Rex reported loves, only signed a second round tender too, which was lower than expected.
JR – I think they want teams to bid low so that they can match and keep him long term. No team would bid on a first round tender coming off that injury.
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One more point, as long as Sproles is out there, Leon has significant competition because to sign Sproles a team doesn’t have to give up a 2nd rounder. Ditto for Westbrook, who has more injury/age baggage but still posted a 4.5 YPC and had 25 receptions. In a strict 3rd down/situational RB role, he could still be effective for a couple of years.
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Bent,
What would stop a team from using one now though?
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Bent says:
JR – my hope is that the teams will have agreed not to do it any more, since the rule can’t be officially changed until the new CBA is signed.
Either that, or the league has told teams they’ll block any deals that use ridiculous clauses.
If either of those is true, then Tannenbaum would be aware and the risk would not exist. If not, the whole system is a farce and basically anyone who wants an RFA can lock them up by getting an agent to sign an offer sheet with a poison pill clause and the right of first refusal will effectively be irrelevant, especially with the huge RFA list this year.
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Joe says:
is leon washington going to be the same player as he was before week 7
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James in TN says:
I hope that Tanny is renegotiating with TJ as we speak, and we avoid losing our best RB.
3 mil signing bonus 2 year 2mil per season extension with option for 3rd year at 3 mil.
That is how you cover your gamble with Leon’s leg and Greene’s fumblitis, AND you don’t waste a pick at RB and get to filling areas of need.
Tanny loses TJ and Leon and it is a long way back.
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Late second round is great for RBs, guys like LeSean McCoy, Ray Rice and MJD all went 53 (Pats’ lowest 2nd round pick) or lower. The Pats should worry who the Jets would take with that 2nd rounder as much as we should worry about losing Leon. And, with Trader Mike, the last thing the Pats want to see is the Jets package their new second rounder and their 1st to move up in the first round ahead of the Pats. Brandon Graham here we come!
Also, Bob Kraft is generally held in high regard by the owners, he might not want to use a poison pill for what most owners would consider a player that isn’t a top player at his position. For the Steve Hutchinson’s of the NFL? Understandable. An RB coming off of a significant injury with a deep RB draft? Less so.
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Bent teams have to win now, and I would not put it past anybody to do whatever it takes ie poison pill to win. Coaches never leave the team facility and there is no more offseason. I just think we need to err on the side of caution. Keep our RB’s and build through the draft for the next 10 years. I want DL help and a good replacement for woody at RT. Also, if we don’t like all the picks trade Rhodes, Gholston and our No.1 and No.5 for Eric Berry. Can’t lose there.
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Bent says:
JR – FWIW Peter King of all people recently wrote that the NFL banned the use of poison pill contracts, although it’s possible that he may not be appreciating the fact that that would only become official if there was a CBA in place.
I’ve seen others (including football outsiders, who have a guy that used to work in the salary department of an NFL team) write that the poison pill will be a tool teams use this offseason, so who knows?
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Aaarrgghhhh! Greene had 3 fumbles in his first 71 carries and none in his last 91. Layer that on top of the fact he didn’t fumble at all during his last year at Iowa and why can’t we chalk his fumbles up to simple rookie mistakes, rather than “fumbilitis?”
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Bent says:
All of this requires Keels to actually let his guy sign an offer sheet. Think that’s likely? After last year? Especially if there’s a clause in there that I’m pretty sure he won’t comprehend.
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sackexchange says:
I love leon…..but if for some reason he goes for a second rounder i would be happy with that….very deep draft. i know everyone is going to say cant get rid of leon…..yes you can……..but i do hope he stays….
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subwayfare says:
Keels should be sued for malpractice.
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Ryan says:
Anyone just hear Adam Schein on Loud Mouths, Kerry Rhodes for Boldin or for a 3rd round pick?
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Tos9987 says:
I dont see the problem . I love Leon as much as the next guy . But we only use him about 10 plays a game and returns . He has fallen off on returns since the wedge rule .
I am sure we could find a replacement in the 2nd round .
Or sign Sporles and keep the pick they are the same player
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MrJetGreen says:
Hey Keels, you really screwed up!
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Marc says:
Keels sucks. I don’t like the way he goes about his business, using Twitter has his primary negotiating tool.
Sign Leon pending an agreement that he dump Keels when their contract expires.
Either A. we get leon for a bargain this year, or B. someone makes an offer , which will set the bar low to begin long-term negotiations. Not a bad idea.
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Marvel says:
I’d gladly take a 2nd rounder for Leon. .. Just draft a younger Leon minus the Broken Leg.. I’m almost posative RB is almost one of the last positions a GM worries about. I still say it’s harder to find a great Punter than it is to find a great RB..
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steviek says:
what this probably means is that theres a 2nd rounder they really like at rb with the extra pick if he gets a contract and they dont want to match.
leon should get offers, but i disagree with alvin that anyone would break the bank.
money saved could go to revis, mangold, harris, etc. life in the nfl.
reality is despite all of leon’s & tj’s talents and work, there are a Ton of talented RB’s who can do an excellent job behind this kind of O line. look at Indy just slotting RB’s in, the Giants with 3 guys 2 years ago or Denver a few years back. didnt matter who was back there. -
brian311 says:
i think the people who arent concerned with losing leon are delusional….um, unless you have been living under a rock we just cut TJ, the RB responsible for the most significant amount of our rushing production. for a “ground and pound” team with the identity of running the football (and hopefully leading the NFL in rushing attempts again) the notion of being ok with Leon walking is ridiculous
the thought of spreading 550 rushing attempts out to Greene, Chauncey Washington and veteran cast-off / unproved draft pick is scary to say the least. I love Greene but until he proves he can be a 300+ carry NFL back, we have to have plenty of options behind him as insurance (i fully expect him to become this #1 back, im just sayin nothing is guaranteed).
we HAVE to have Leon back. if we let him walk for a 2nd round pick that will be a major mistake, IMO
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Bent
Serious Question
for this jet team who play great D.. If given the opportunity would you trade Shane lechler for Leon straight up ?
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here is a newsflash – players like Leon Washington dont grow on trees and there isnt one in every draft
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Dylan says:
Lol no way would I commit 16mil to a punter. I don’t care how good the guy is! Al Davis is ridiculous.
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Did anyone else just see on loud mouths that the Cardinals are offering Anquan Boldin for Kerry Rhodes?
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Eddie DiGio says:
JR-for real for real?
Keels is the worst agent ever…
remember the Jets can match the contract if they feel its necessary, just because they didnt 1st and 3rd him doesnt mean he is gone…
I have faith in Mr T that he will not get caught with his pants down
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Bent says:
Steviek – I doubt that considering this was apparently decided before the combine (which is crucial more for the interviews).
Marvel – Lechler is great, but no, I would not.
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Eddie,
Thats what they just said. I dont know how much truth there is to it, but its interesting nonetheless.
The Jets could trade Rhodes for Boldin, sign Dawan Landry (and give up a 2nd rd pick) and sign either Adalius Thomas or Joey Porter, then in the firts round draft a corner.
Sounds good to me
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Bent
Cool … I no Leon was hurt last year but I honestly can’t recall a big play of his prior to him being injured but I remember alot of horrible punts that left our D in bad spots. I hope he comes back 100% because this might be his last shot at that big contract he wants .
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Brad says:
Loudmouths- Boldin for Rhodes- Love it but hate it at the same time unless we sign him to a new contract. If we dont then the following year who knows who will be on the team- Edwards will need a new contract, and Cotchery has been on his contract for a few years now too. This will also create a new need in the draft- needing a starting safety where with WR we were saying need a slot guy or a guy to develop because we have 2 solid WR’s already. And with only 2 top picks do we really want to create more starting position needs. – CB, OLB, and now Safety if this happens, to go along with adding depth on DL, OL, and also now RB!
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fattyboomboom says:
Just to throw something els into this mix, but thefins just tendered brown with a 1st round tender, if we did lose loen i’d try and lock up ronnie brown in a heartbeat !!
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Bent says:
JR – that’s not a bad plan. Landry being available cheaper than expected might make moving Rhodes more likely.
Boldin kind of scares me though, for several reasons.
- one year left on his contract but will then want big money
- 30 next year
- I recall one tjb commenter from Arizona saying the Cards never wanted to keep him past this year so they just wore him out and ran him into the ground (figuratively) or something
- Do they need to invest in the WR position?
- His production fell (same numbers in 3 extra games with FDs falling from 56 to 49 and TDs fell from 11 to 4
- His numbers are great but their passing offense was far more potent, so as a percentage they are less impressive
- Does this leave them with three number two receivers? -
Wow JR, thats pretty good thinking my man
Future GM Jesus Revis
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Isn’t Landry a Strong Safety like leohnard? Can one switch to Free Safety?
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Like u said Bent- worried about renting Boldin for one year, might prefer just taking a 3rd round pick for Rhodes!
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Bent says:
Marvel – to defend Leon’s 2009 season, he averaged 4.6 yards per carry and had a run of longer than 10 yards in five of six games (and a catch of more than 10 in four of six). He had a 33 yard run and a 33 yard catch on a screen pass against the Bills, against whom he ran for 99 yards. He wasn’t at his best, but still showed plenty of that playmaking ability at a time when (by their own admission) the OL hadn’t got to grips with the zone blocking that tore the league up down the stretch.
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As much as I disslike Rhodes sometimes I’m cool with picking up a slot guy late in the draft or just let Clowny PLAY .. Boldin isn’t necessary ..
Edwards
J Coch
Smith
clowny
Keller
Leon
Chestor Taylor(maybe)not that bad..
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Bent says:
Landry was an all-ACC free safety in his senior year and has coverage skills. In the Rex scheme, the safeties are more or less fungible, except that they don’t really have the option to use Leonhard on TEs because he’s too small.
Having said that, I didn’t think he’d be a successful NFL player because I had doubts over his coverage abilities heading into the draft! Of expect him to play in the box more if paired with Leonhard, who is more than adequate in coverage, although he lacks the range of Kerry Rhodes.
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Bent-
good points about Boldin
I think if Braylon starts catching the easy ones, he could blossom into a #1 though…Boldin has his strengths but cant fly like Bray Bray
Its a big “if” but I haven’t seen a Jet receiver be able to consistently separate from coverage the way he can since…well…ever
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Bent says:
Agreed Eddie. That last point was more of a rhetorical question I don’t necessarily agree with! Two 1a’s is what they have right now.
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Brad
Jimmy Leonhard would probably switch to free safety. I know he spelled both Ed Reed and Landry a couple years ago when he started to blow up
Thats why I am starting to come around in regards to at least being “open minded” about trading Rhodes. I was so dead against it until I looked it up and found that Leonhard can play both FS and SS
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Bent
I can’t get mad at those numbers plus he’d be on a mission when he comes back. When Tanny drafted him outta FS I hadn’t a clue who he was; with that being said when it comes to Tanny & drafting RBs has he ever missed ? That’s kinda why I wouldn’t mind the 2nd roun pick I can’t see Tanny messing up(aside from ghost)
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Bent says:
Whoa…PFF absolutely KILLS Landry. Apparently there are only six safeties on the entire NFL that had a worse 2009 than he did.
He’s the only safety in the entire NFL with a negative ranking for run defense, coverage and pass rushing.
I’d imagine that Reed being out a lot had a big effect on him. I think Rex does think highly of him.
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Bent
Totally 100% agree with the two “1a’s”. Funny you should say that, that was a point brought up by my buddy in the bar last night!
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Bent says:
Looking more closely at the numbers his rating was awful in the first half of 2009, but in the second half he was actually good – and his 2007 and 2008 (only played 2 games) ratings were good too. That makes a bit more sense now!
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So what does the fact that we lost TJ need to do with the fact that we could lose leon . We still need a bruser back thats durable like TJ
Leons not going to give us the production that TJ did .
Leon can be replaced easily with a 2nd rounder
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I gotta be honest, I dont think I ever have seen the dude play…anyone have any thoughts about Landry?
The only thing I know is my buddy lit up Mark Sanchez with him in Madden 10 and knocked him out of the game, effectively knocking me out of the tournament…I know its sad, but its all I know about the guy
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Tos9987
I’ll never say TJ isn’t durable because that’s what makes him valuable.. But a bruser he was not .. Green puts the hurt on defenders kinda like Barber with the cowboys but with a little more burst .
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Alex says:
If Leon is lucky enough to get a contract offer im pretty sure he will get a reality check on what he is worth. I believe last year the Jets offered about 4 million a year but he wanted 5. There is no way he gets more than 4 million dollars a year. The Jets want to keep him and I believe they will come to an agreement. Hopefully he comes back healthy and as dynamic as usual. It would be a great backfield of Greene and Washington. I hope he resigns as long as it is at our price. He’s not the kind of player you want to overpay for.
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Green Lantern says:
Did anybody else hear about Rhodes for Boldin or am I just late?
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Pdubbs says:
Alvin Keels is such a clown…. I really hope he reads this blog. Leon should pay anyone of us to do a better job.
Alvin Keels you are a huge tool.
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Bent
If and when Leon comes back do you think they will let him return kicks .. Because aside from that return in Indy it’s hard watching Smith & J Coch return kicks .. I always thought you could just throw a guy like clowney back there but I guess not ..
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Haha Green Latern…just a step too slow like Kerry!!!!!LOL
jk I like Kerry I just saw an opening, had to take it sorry
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Eddie-
haha you already brought it up? -
Bent says:
Lantern – Scroll up to 6:35pm and the posts after that.
Marvel – Leonhard is the PR. I don’t know what they’ll do at KR. I prefer Leon to Brad, but Brad is good enough and Leon should perhaps focus on offense.
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I stated my case about this silly 2nd round tender 4 days ago and was supsried that people werent more annoyed by this. More than a few were willing to lose leon for a 2nd rounder which seems absurd at best to me.
Besides a few hundred thousand dollars why not the higher tender and avoid this problem?
There are teams willing to trake a chance on Leon knowing that a 2nd and a tricky contract might be able to get them one of the most dynamic players back to full strength by week 6.
Its like signing a player thats on the PUB list. Before Leon got hurt he was our most explosive player….If we lose Leon for a 2nd rounder…Could be Mr T biggest mistake yet and could cost people thier jobs….and i love Mr T
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O lol thanks Eddie and Bent.
Who would do it? -
head_coach says:
if we lose leon trade up and get CJ SPILLER. But this dude is bluffin about a “50 50″ chance
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TJBfan (twitter @infresco4) says:
AKA…Drew and others confused/upset by the tender hear me out:
Up until now Keels has argued that the Jets aren’t offering Washington his market value.
Fans are afraid someone will snatch him up at this low tender but that’s exactly what the Jets want. Jets are banking on no one doing more than sniffing at the option giving them the leverage they need to make a long term contract at a reasonable price or worse case getting 1st refusal on his actual market price.
By giving a 1st round tender the Jets would be conceding that he deserves a huge contract and due to the high tender no one would come sniffing and Keels can still go by the hypothetical market value theory. This would lead to a stalemate and sit out at camp etc etc….If leon ends up leaving this way Jets get nothing out of it.
Leon deserves to get paid but if they rejected 4 million a year then it’s time for reality. Sproles doesn’t have a tender period after they gaged Leon’s need for a high contract due to his franchise tag last year.
Also remember late season and playoff time we proved we don’t NEED leon….he is explosive he is great but we got pretty far without him to say he deserves to make 6 mil a year.
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neauone says:
Keels blew it, and he blew it big time. Leon made the worse decision of his life hiring this guy. Leon I’m sure was told to take the risk, that he would cash in for twice what he was getting from the Jets. Now its 50/50 he returns to 75% of what he was. Its very difficult to comeback from such a terrible injury and to play back to the level that he once enjoyed. If the Jets lose Leon and another team wants to take the chance, than God Bless Leon AND we get a number 2 not a bad trade off. Same thing goes for Edwards and Smith. I’ll take the draft choices all day.
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gangreen4ever says:
if we lose leon washington im going to cry
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KenEB says:
Just heard on SNY that the Cardinals offered either Anquan Boldin or their 3rd round pick in exchange for Kerry Rhodes. I think I’d sign Antrel Rolle and take the pick. Not a bad trade, Rolle and a 3 for Rhodes. Boldin would tie up too much money at receiver, unless someone were to swoop in and sign Braylon Edwards to an offer sheet. Will somebody please go out and buy Daniel Snyder a drink?
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Leon is not going anywhere no one is going to pay him anything close to what keels wants coming off the injury .
I think the Jets dont care either way , and neither do I . There is no down side to this too me . We either get leon back ,or get a younger fresh rookie.
Actauly the only risk would be getting leon back then finding out he is not his old self
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nyjets90 says:
look i love Leon but this 2nd round tender isnt a bad thing. think of what we were able to do without him this season. if we can get a second round pick for him i would take it. that means we have a 1st 2nd and 2nd..thats we can get a pass rusher, corner and RB in the first 2 rounds. RB’s Toby Gerhart, Dex McCluster, Jonathan Dwyer..all should be available in the second..especially if we have 2 picks, one which could be early second. and who knows Leon still could come back..this isnt a bad thing what Tanny is doing..
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bent,
kinda disagree, though yeah, large majority of their work to set up a draft board is already done pre-combine.
but the difference between a 1st or 2nd round tender wouldn’t be significant as far as annual salary due in ’10. you increase the chances of washington getting an offer with the lesser tender, and therefore deciding on a contract you may prefer not to match.
so, with that tender they know they may have to replace him and obviously have some confidence that they could.
the risk they seem to be taking is that an offer washington would get as an rfa would be less than they had been negotiating before and would match, getting a better deal than as a FA after ’10, or see enough options to replace him. -
sorry, its late, in case that wasn’t entirely clear they may want leon to get an offer as an rfa because they think it will be less than the $12M or so guaranteed they were negotiating with keels before the injury.
if leon has a good year, they’d be back in the same differences in negotiations with a rb 1.5 years older. -
jvsvn says:
I think the 2nd round tender is right. First, I doubt that anyone is going to give him a blockbuster deal given the injury situation. The Jets will have the chance to resign him or match what will probably be a reasonable deal. If lightning strikes and we get a 2nd rounder, I’m OK with that too. I think that people are looking at the RB situation the wrong way. What Leon gave us was the ability to break a run and take it to the house. He was a great compliment to TJ who couldn’t really do that. But now we have Greene and he can make one or two of those plays each game on his own. I’m not saying that we don’t need more in the backfield than what Greene gives us. If Leon is healthy then the two together are a downright scary combo. I’m just saying that substituting Greene for Jones changes the entire complexion of the backfield. I don’t know if people have quite wrapped their head around that yet.
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sunsetmusic says:
I hooooooppppeeee the Jets loose Leon and gain a 2nd roun pick!!!! PPPPLllllease let this happen!!!!!
And for the people saying that anyone who doesn’t think leon leaving would be a mistake …..nnooo Your Crazy!!!! Because after watching decades of football I can say one thing and that is that replaacing a) not named Eric Dickerson, Barry Sanders, Walter Payton, Em. Smith etc (you get the point) is the easiest position to replace in All of Football!!!!! Its even easier to get a good RB before a great Punter and Kicker….just look around.
LW is already available and his name is Sproles and guess what….he doesn’t have a effing BROKEN leg HHHHEEELLLLLOOOOO!!!!!! Not saying sproles is the pickup to make but if you loose LW you get him “a ST pro bowler like LW for money and still have a extra 2nd pick in what might one of the strongest Drafts I could remember!!!!!!
Tanny and staff had made great decisions in the past and I would love to see what they could do armed with a extra 2nd rd pick. So Please Leon……ggggooooo and thx for the memories…a solid player and I wish him health…but hall of famer he is not….startting RB he is not and All Pro he is not!!!!! Pro bowl ST caliber yes….no team is handing him the ball 300 times….replaceable YESSSSSSS!!!
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supercooljetfan says:
once they changed the wedge rule on kickoffs before last season leons stock went down…hes good as a backup and screen pass but your not gonna see the same production out of special teams from him nomore
It may have been pointed out elsewhere already, but it should be noted that the Patriots have a void at RB and two second round picks to burn. I’m just sayin’…….