The Rundown: Why Leon’s Absent and Why It’s a Good Idea For Him
So with questions about Leon’s absence surfacing last night, what’s the deal? According to his agent, here’s what he wrote on Twitter last night.
Leon Washington will not sign his tender at this time. He will continue to rehab while weighing his options as a restricted free agent. Rehab is going great for LW. He is expected to be cleared to do running drills in the next 10-14 days and will be 100% healthy [before] camp!
Personally I don’t see this as cause for much alarm. Keels elaborated to Rich Cimini.
“Leon not signing his tender has nothing to do with him being unhappy,” Keels said in an e-mail to the Daily News. “He loves New York and the fans. However, we have some interest out there in Leon. … If a team is going to give up a second-round pick, it would probably get done closer to the deadline than versus right now. He will be four weeks further along in his rehab than he is right now.”
I think about 95% fans feel that this classic quote from Arnold in Running Man encapsulates their feelings on Keels. (FYI: Loud)
The fact that Keels even mentioned fans on Leon’s behalf, shows he’s clearly gunshy from all the berating (and rightly so!!) we’ve done of him over the past year. For as much as Keels gets beat up by us Jets fans (and wholly admit I’m a ringleader) I think this is a smart move on his part to advise his client not to sign yet.
While others like Kellen Clemens haven’t signed their tender, but are still working out are there, I think the biggest difference for Leon is threefold.
1) Leon and Keels would like to work out a long-term contract for the player
2) There’s an actual market for someone like Leon, as opposed to KC
3) Leon is recovering from a season ending injury
Leon’s still rehabbing, and once he’s cleared to run, any interest in him might pick up by other teams. Whereas other players might have had the chance to make visits, Leon can’t really show off his abilities until he’s cleared, so if there’s been actual interest, we don’t know about it, because Keels hasn’t put any names or indications on exactly what the bites so far have been, because more than likely teams are hesitant to do anything until they see the guy run.
Leon has to be bewildered by the signing of LaDainian Tomlinson, and maybe even some of the adulation that the move received. With the emergence of Shonn Greene, it would be hard not to feel a little like the fifth wheel. Honestly, while I think LT will be a help (but not as much as people might think), the move received so much press because there’s just that much of a “news vacuum” this offseason.
The only thing that Leon can do, who is of course coming back from a gruesome injury, is prove that he’s the right guy for this offense, which I think he’ll get more than a fair chance to do. Rex Ryan clearly likes the running back, and it’s even more clear that his teammates do too.
There might be some interest in Leon leading up to the draft, but I don’t really expect it to be serious. When the time comes, Leon will sign his tender and be back with the team.
20 Responses to The Rundown: Why Leon’s Absent and Why It’s a Good Idea For Him
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brian311 says:
i dont know about anyone else, but im super nervous that KC hasnt signed his tender….lol
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bono-zoffa says:
my biggest concern is this moron keels will rush leon back in order to get him tryouts for other teams – either to land him a big contract elsewhere or jack up his $$ for the jets – and the jets will end up w/ a rb who’s not fully healed and prone to injury down the road. for compound fractures like the one he has, especially w/ a 27 yr old who’s bones do not recalicify like a 17 yr olds bones do, proper rehab is VERY important here and should not be cut short.
f leon fully rehabs himself and gets himself ready to go, then i’ll not only take him on this team, I’ll be first in line to demand he get a legit contract from the jets front office. leon’s too good to give up on at this point.
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matt says:
is leon retarted if it wasnt for keels he would of had a long term deal done berfore last year started and now hes screwed hes not worth half of what he was a year ago. greed is a bit*h
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Jack says:
Ok, I’m confused. If, as you say and I agree, there really won’t be much interest in Leon given his injury status and the 2nd round tender, how exactly does not signing his tender help him?
Last season both he and TJ clearly irritated the Jets with their holdouts. This year TJ is gone (coincidence?) and Leon is being offered less money than if he had signed last year. Rex has already expressed his “disappointment” with Leon’s absence and if it is protracted that isn’t likely to get better.
By his actions last season, Leon put himself in this position. If he is ultimately going to return to the Jets, how does holding out help his cause?
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leon really is the nicest guy in the world, but he has made a huge mistake career wise by using Keels. it really is a shame that multiple NFL athletes trust this joke with their careers.
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Im not sure what Keels really hopes to gain by having Leon run for a team. The RFA signing period ends April 15, so its basically going to give him no time to prepare before doing some running drills where the agent is going to say hes out of shape. Any team that signs a long term contract with Leon is going to give him a big time performance oriented deal because of the injury, similar to what we did with Pennington in 2006. Obviously he’ll be able to run and do some cutting. I just cant imagine a small workout really persuading a team. This is the kind of injury you can only really figure out when they play in live drills.
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Jets-Fan-4-Life says:
The biggest question we should be asking … Why is Leon still with Keels?
Leon should smarten up and drop this guy quickly. He is only going to bring him further down on the pay scale!
I wouldn’t be shocked if he does drop him and then shortly after Mike T offers him a well paying contract!
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Agreed brian311…but at this point Leon’s and Keels’ hands are tied and I think this is just a stall tactic to try and give them so more time to work out a long term deal with the Jets, while giving Tanny the perception that there may be interest out there. Personally, I don’t think there is a team in this league that would sacrifice a 2nd rounder for Leon as is and give him the contract length and money he is looking for.
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miketaliaferro says:
This is no surprise.
Leon gambled once by going on the field without the new contract in hand. He’s not about to do it a second time, coming back from rehab hell.
He’s sure to leave every option he has open until the final moment possible. To do otherwise would be extremely foolish. Not unless the Jets courted him passionately and wowed him with an offer he couldn’t refuse. And no one on this board, I assume, is expecting that to happen anytime soon. Other teams, as noted above, will want to see Leon move about and run, at the very least. Which is still a couple of weeks away, he’s saying. So fine; it’s a couple of weeks.
A healthy Leon will have absolutely no dearth of suitors when he comes to the dance. So why push it?
And Tanny hasn’t exactly won any free passes/home team discounts from any of his players, not after the hard-ass way he dealt with TJ and Leon last summer, then TJ again this year. And, yes, the silence on how the team is viewing Leon — on whether the party line is “we can’t WAIT to get our guy back in to help us!” OR “We’ll have to see what he’s got left whenever he gets here…” with all the huzzahs over Tomlinson’s signing, has been deafening. So, I can see where Leon might be a bit confused about how he’s being looked at by the front office and coaching staff.
And besides, considering that he’s not cleared to run yet, what good is showing up at Jets workouts supposed to be for him? And what would he be doing exactly, other than making bored fans happy by filling an information void? Having lunch with Sanchez?
Leon’s earned what’s best for Leon. If he feels that Keels is his guy, then I’m not sticking my nose into that marriage. That’s their concern. Leon can pick whomever he wants. Pro or con, it’s his call. I don’t care.
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frustratedjetfan says:
Always liked Leon, but felt the Jets never maximized his use except as a ST’er. Think about it. Probably the most dynamic game he had was a few years ago in an end of regular season game in Miami when Pennington found him with a desperation dump off and Leon juked his way to a TD. He was fantastic and proved what he could be, but they never designed enough plays around him to dominate (partly because of the “not an every down back; change of pace philosophy.”.
That being said, I’d like to have him back but wouldn’t expect much this year. Fact is there’s no way an running back, wide receiver or even a corner or safety (anyone who depends of quick legs) can be himself after an injury like that his first year back. The question should be “Will he be a Pro Bowl type of player in 2011?”
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SackDance99 says:
Honestly, if NFL teams could bid on second round picks, the auction price might be more than Leon’s RFA tender. In a deep draft like this one, most NFL teams expect to get a starter in the second round. The money that they save locking up a 2nd rounder for 4-5 years would more than make up for the auction price of the pick. As great as Leon was in the past, he plays one of the most fungible positions in the NFL and one where rookies often have productive seasons. I like Leon a lot, but he’s just not worth a 2nd rounder. Moreover, if Keels thinks Leon is worth the 49ers 2nd rounder (the 50th pick), he’s even more deluded than I thought.
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charleyjet says:
The more Keels does for him the more Leon gets screwed.
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Mike T,
You said:
“And Tanny hasn’t exactly won any free passes/home team discounts from any of his players, not after the hard-ass way he dealt with TJ and Leon last summer, then TJ again this year.”
I completely disagree with this statement. TJ and Leon, despite being under contract, both threatened to holdout last season. Doing so with a new coach would’ve caused the Jets harm and, in fact, their stance likely caused the Jets to trade up to get Shonn Greene. Tanny had every right to hold TJ and Leon to their contracts. And, Tanny did make an offer to Leon that was in line with what 3rd down/situational RBs make in the NFL. Leon and his agent decided not to sign the deal, Leon got hurt and now he’s being tendered at a price lower than what he would’ve gotten if he had signed his deal last year.
TJ’s and Leon’s situations are entirely different from other players on the team and, if anything, the fact that so many Jets players have signed their tenders rather than shop themselves shows that many of the players have taken a de facto hometown discount. Edwards is a good example. His buddy Rhodes was traded and he could have tested the waters (no team would’ve signed him with the 1st/3rd tender, but if he had made a fuss about wanting a long-term deal, he could’ve had his agent make inquiries). He didn’t and his salary is a couple of million less than a WR with his pedigree could get in the open market. LT reportedly took less money than the Vikings offered to go to the Jets. I think that we’ll see more players, esp. on the defensive side, willing to take the hometown discount. Rex makes playing for him fun, the Jets have excellent training facilities and a new stadium and the Jets are perceived as a team on the rise. That’s why when you hear about a free agent defensive player that’s available or could be available, like Sharper or Asomugha, they often talk about possibly joining the Jets.
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Eddie DiGio says:
Keels man…his pimp hand is strong
This guy reminds of Boras back in the day…Keels will end up filthy freakin rich while a lot of his clients will go to losing teams on one year deals towards the end of their careers, ruining their legacy by going to a team that doesnt have the supporting cast
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are-tee says:
Maybe I’m mistaken, but I don’t remember TJ “holding out” last season. There were reports that he wanted a new contract, but I don’t think he ever publicly made any statements about his contract situation.
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If Leon has still got rehab to do then he cant be there…Ive had back surgery and did the whole rehab thing…if I didnt do exactly what the doctors and PTs told me, I probably would have taken a whole lot longer to heal and heal right…and Leon is a pro football player, I can only imagine the kind of shape he has to get into before he can return
Also, Leon knows everything this team does like the back of his hand, Leon has been here since Schotty took over and knows Westy’s specials like they are imprinted on a micro chip in his brain…
Leon is a Jet and should always be a Jet and I know its Leon’s business but if Keels is standing in the way of that, I dont like the guy. ARod cut Boras out of the negotiations the 11th hour to get a deal done with the Yanks. The rest is history as ARod has cemented himself as a Yankee great with a magical post season in 09
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art-tee
TJ def talked about being unhappy with his deal last year- he never came to OTAs and all that but you are right, he never held out of camp
Remember all the TJ trade rumors?I remember when the Jets came back to Hofstra for one night, almost no fans were circled around TJ bc the buzz was that he was a goner ( I talked to him for 10 mins and TJ is the man btw). Remember Rex was like “I aint tradin the AFC’s leading rusher…maybe for 3 first rounders but I aint giving that away”
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are-tee,
Thomas Jones did not attend voluntary pre-draft workouts and the clear message was that he might “holdout.” So, like I said, TJ “threatened” to holdout and Jones’ agent, Drew Rosenhaus, clearly fed the “threat.” Rosenhaus’ favorite tactic is the holdout. So, unless you forgot what happened last year, Jones’ threat was serious and, coming before the draft, clearly factored into the Jets’ draft plans because the Jets were not certain that TJ would show up to training camp (although he did show up to the OTAs, but with no public assurance that he would be there for camp). Also, I believe that Leon missed the OTAs and was also a threat not to show at training camp.
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LJ says:
“News vacuum?” You mean Rex’s lapband surgery isn’t front page headline worthy?
Tsk tsk.
I totally agree that Leon will be back with the team. There won’t be any more movement on this until we get closer to the April 15th deadline.