Jets making all-out blitz for free-agent LB Dont'a Hightower

[derp]

There's been recent praise of the Jets keeping signings under lids. I don't think anyone who's been signed so far had a leak they were negotiating. Hopefully that continues.

This would be a horrific allocation of resources. The only thing the Jets should even consider doing at ILB this offseason is drafting a two down thumper with limited coverage skills on day three to take over for Harris in 2018 or open up the door for a late cut to get some salary cap savings if he happens to be ready for that role this year.

You're generally going to have what, six DB's on the field in most third and long situations given this is a passing league? So five "front seven" guys. Given their talents and allocation of resources thus far you'd better damn well have Wilkerson, Williams, and Lee on the field in those situations. And then two edge rushers.

I don't see the rationale behind being serious about getting another ILB on the roster. I think the only positions I would understand less are 5-tech and guard.

 

Plus, I thought they were just going to be bad this year based on everything else they've done this offseason. And I was fine with that. Why ruin it?

[Drums]

I think (and hope) they are driving up the price.  If so, they might have leaked this news themselves.

[dbatesman]

Just now, Drums said:

I think (and hope) they are driving up the price.  If so, they might have leaked this news themselves.

Probably they leaked the cupcakes thing, too. Just to make the story a little more colorful.

[RutgersJetFan]

20 minutes ago, Sperm Edwards said:

I had to read this twice for it to make sense. Then it occurred to me: is this what it's like for others to read my posts? Man, that's just awful.

Just like my posts minus the length, of course. But then you're often a lot like me, minus the length.

[LAD_Brooklyn]

5 minutes ago, derp said:

There's been recent praise of the Jets keeping signings under lids. I don't think anyone who's been signed so far had a leak they were negotiating. Hopefully that continues.

This would be a horrific allocation of resources. The only thing the Jets should even consider doing at ILB this offseason is drafting a two down thumper with limited coverage skills on day three to take over for Harris in 2018 or open up the door for a late cut to get some salary cap savings if he happens to be ready for that role this year.

You're generally going to have what, six DB's on the field in most third and long situations given this is a passing league? So five "front seven" guys. Given their talents and allocation of resources thus far you'd better damn well have Wilkerson, Williams, and Lee on the field in those situations. And then two edge rushers.

I don't see the rationale behind being serious about getting another ILB on the roster. I think the only positions I would understand less are 5-tech and guard.

 

Plus, I thought they were just going to be bad this year based on everything else they've done this offseason. And I was fine with that. Why ruin it?

Hightower is a rusher on passing downs. If it not through blitzing, it's as a edge rusher. The only problem is if we're not going to use his versatility then he's worth more to the Pats then any other team. With all that said, if $12 mil was offered to him he would have jumped on it already. No team see's him as such. Probably closer to $8-9 mil.

[Mike135]

Wouldn't mind the move.  Harris is the man but obviously near the end.  I don't see anything wrong with spending some cap space for another defensive leader type that can take over Harris' role while also adding a nice pass rush ability.

The rest of the LBS corps is young, so it probably makes sense to have a veteran with championship experience leading them.

Plus it hurts the Pats.

Won't mind however this turns out.

[Mike135]

1 minute ago, LAD_Brooklyn said:

Hightower is a rusher on passing downs. If it not through blitzing, it's as a edge rusher. The only problem is if we're not going to use his versatility then he's worth more to the Pats then any other team. With all that said, if $12 mil was offered to him he would have jumped on it already. No team see's him as such. Probably closer to $8-9 mil.

Thought I saw the Pats are offering 10mil.

[T0mShane]

56 minutes ago, Pac said:

 

How well did it work out for your hero Idzik when he refused to sign anyone and sabotaged his HC? 

At the end of the day it's not gonna matter a whole hell of a lot if they have 35 Mil in cap space next year instead of 47. 

This is what I think of when I think of Idzik's contribution to the Jets franchise (with the ring symbolizing Rex's hold over Woody Johnson.

http://makeagif.com/i/pV6CP-

 

http://makeagif.com/i/pV6CP-

[Sperm Edwards]

5 minutes ago, RutgersJetFan said:

Infantile penis jokes never get old. 

Also I watched this gif rotate through at least 15 times so far.

[RutgersJetFan]

1 minute ago, Mike135 said:

Wouldn't mind the move.  Harris is the man but obviously near the end.  I don't see anything wrong with spending some cap space for another defensive leader type that can take over Harris' role while also adding a nice pass rush ability.

The rest of the LBS corps is young, so it probably makes sense to have a veteran with championship experience leading them.

Plus it hurts the Pats.

Won't mind however this turns out.

Exactly what I was thinking. We should take the money that we were overpaying the everloving barbara out of with Harris and shift that over to another inside linebacker. I can't think of a better use of resources. Now draft a safety at 6 and we're golden.

[derp]

3 minutes ago, LAD_Brooklyn said:

Hightower is a rusher on passing downs. If it not through blitzing, it's as a edge rusher. The only problem is if we're not going to use his versatility then he's worth more to the Pats then any other team. With all that said, if $12 mil was offered to him he would have jumped on it already. No team see's him as such. Probably closer to $8-9 mil.

Understand Hightower is a good pass rusher and has the the size play as an edge guy. He's also got 17 career sacks in 5 seasons and had 2.5 sacks last year. There's more value in the NFL to being a pass rusher than an ILB in my opinion. Maybe I'm oversimplifying, but if you're that good at getting after the quarterback then I'm playing you at OLB all 3 downs and letting you get after the passer. I'd think Belichick would've figured that out.

So I'm thinking you've got a good two down ILB who's an okay edge rusher but not good enough to do it full time. I'd rather give a 2 down thumper at ILB and a situational pass rusher a lot less than the $12m Hightower is reportedly asking for and have at least one play specials. Probably a little worse at ILB those two downs and comparable if not better in pass rushing situations - even if it's just comparable I'll take the worse overall play for the cap savings.

[Jared]

If the Patriots don't have Hightower, they don't win either 2014 or 2016 Super Bowls.  In particular, look at the play right before Butler's pick against SEA.  Look who was the first one to meet Lynch in the backfield.

It is true that Hightower is at best average in coverage, but he is an exceptional tackler, a very good blitzer, and can stay on the field as a straight pass rusher if necessary on 3rd down.  Additionally, he was defensive captain and wore the green dot last year.  No he is not a sideline to sideline pursuit guy, nor an exceptional coverage backer (how many of those even exist that aren't tweeners?).  He is however one of the best in the league at running downhill to the ball.

Is that worth 12m a year?  Probably not.  I could definitely see the Pats deciding it is worth 10 though.  Bill Belichick has never valued pure pass rushers (though he tried to get Colvin from the Bears, Rosey had a pretty gruesome hip injury that ruined his career).  The most notable edge players under BB have been OLB/DE tweener types (McGinest, Vrabel, Ninkovich).  He has always spent more money and draft stock on the big guys (see, for example, the pretty damn good Seymour/Wilfork/Warrent 3-4 DL.  Very few sacks, but a lot of first rounders and cap space were spent on keeping those guys together).

[RutgersJetFan]

26 minutes ago, Jared said:

If the Patriots don't have Hightower, they don't win either 2014 or 2016 Super Bowls. 

[PepPep]

1 hour ago, RoadFan said:

Even Ray Lewis in his prime wouldn't make much of a difference on this crap roster

Shut your mouth. One of the best inside LBers EVER in his prime, when he could do just about everything on the field, including intimidate the f***k out of an offense would make a massive difference on a defense with Richardson, Leo and Wilk on the line, playing alongside a speedy LB like Lee.

RELAX.

He's a good player. Lets see what the contract looks like IF we sign him. Right now Jets have plenty of cap space. Tell me who they should be spending their money on instead.

[dbatesman]

4 minutes ago, PepPep said:

Tell me who they should be spending their money on instead.

No one. It's amazing how you guys talk about this sh*t like it's brain surgery.

[JetFaninMI]

7 hours ago, Sperm Edwards said:

I had to read this twice for it to make sense. Then it occurred to me: is this what it's like for others to read my posts? Man, that's just awful.

Just like my posts minus the length, of course. But then you're often a lot like me, minus the length.

BURN BABY BURN!

[Kleckineau]

What happened to this whole future of the position is the smaller faster linebacker philosophy?

He comes to the Jets and he is instantly an overpaid jag.

 

[Jack Straw]

The Jets are obsessed with run-stopping middle linebackers who can't cover in a league that requires a dominant, pass-rushing OLB.

[Doggin94it]

hard pass at 12M.

Sent from my SM-G920T using JetNation.com mobile app

[NYDreamer]

Today is the day:

 

More

LB Dont'a Hightower is slated to make a call today: #Patriots, #Steelers or #Jets. Those involved expect he'll head home to NE. Stay tuned.

[rangerous]

we'll see if hightower becomes a jet or not.  imo it's a good signing. first the jets get a good player who knows what it takes to win.  maybe this leadership thing is overblown but it's not a bad thing to bring in winners.  second, by signing hightower they won't have to use a high pick on the same position in the draft for a few seasons.  third, they get one of the bellichiken's chips.  maybe not as significant as one may think because of the way the patsies seem to find substitues but still a piece they will need to find.

if i'm not wistaken the jets have to spend to 90% of the salary cap and that means about 153 million this season.  12 m is a lot for a single player but it's not that much higher than market price for similar players.  at some point it all evens out.

[Bleedin Green]

Hightower would theoretically be a good signing... for like half of what the Jets are supposedly offering.

[Jetster]

Why is everyone losing the their sh*t over 12 Mill? We're coming into a draft where we might get a STUD safety in Hooker or Adams who are so good scouts are undecided on which one is better. If we sign Hightower, Harris & his 6.5 come off the book (5.5 mill addition to the cap only), he's 27, PLUS, he's been ranked the 2nd best free agent available from the start of free agency. The Pats traded Collins not Hightower which tell you how they feel about his FOOTBALL intelligence.

Plus scouts are saying this draft is LOADED with CBs! Do you all realize that we could end up adding Hightower, Hooker or Adams, 3rd round CB & TE or RB? Sign me up. That's a defense if these young guys come on in their 2nd year that could grow into something special. Remember Jet fans 2 year rebuild, 2 years! Offenses can always play control ball when your D plays well, but if your D stinks & you play from behind, bad things happen when young offensive players are forced to press.

[BigRy56]

At this point, the Jets might be willing to pay just to save face on being stiffed after making asses of themselves with cupcakes and a birthday party. That whole thing is embarrassing.

[Warfish]

13 hours ago, dbatesman said:

Hightower is thought to be seeking $12 million per year, which would make him the second highest-paid inside linebacker in the NFL, behind Luke Kuechly ($12.4 million).

The Jets have taken a low-key approach in free agency, but they really want Hightower and they're willing to give him a blockbuster contract.

This team is absolutely ******* hopeless.

I could not agree more.  This seems like a horrible, poorly thought out move.  Wrong for where this franchise is, wrong on the player (he's a system guy ffs, slow and not overly athletic, which is fine in the Pats system), and very wrong on the money.

All for a player who is clearly using the Jets to try and leverage a better deal from New England, or if that fails, Pittsburgh.

We're being played, for a guy who's the wrong player at the wrong time for the wrong system at the wrong price.

SOJ I suppose.

[The Crusher]

13 hours ago, dbatesman said:

This team is absolutely ******* hopeless.

This is what happens when the front office is playing for job security rather than championships. Lucky for us Hightower not dumb enough to sign here.

[Long Island Leprechaun]

6 minutes ago, Warfish said:

I could not agree more.  This seems like a horrible, poorly thought out move.  Wrong for where this franchise is, wrong on the player (he's a system guy ffs, slow and not overly athletic, which is fine in the Pats system), and very wrong on the money.

All for a player who is clearly using the Jets to try and leverage a better deal from New England, or if that fails, Pittsburgh.

We're being played, for a guy who's the wrong player at the wrong time for the wrong system at the wrong price.

SOJ I suppose.

So there's a chance it might work out?

[phill1c]

I don't get it. There's a YOUNG guy available, who is absolutely an upgrade over the old, slow dinosaur we have at the position now. He's from THE WINNINGEST franchise in history, would take great pleasure in beating his old team, which happens to be in our division, and the predominant arguments are about 12 million and "job security rather than championships?"

D U M B !!

The money is chump change and, of course, easily recovered in the event of under production. Obtaining this guy weakens the divisional opponent. The guy is a WINNER, something very few on the Jets can claim. And, somehow, there are vehement arguments against it?!

[UntouchableCrew]

1 hour ago, Jetster said:

Why is everyone losing the their sh*t over 12 Mill? We're coming into a draft where we might get a STUD safety in Hooker or Adams who are so good scouts are undecided on which one is better. If we sign Hightower, Harris & his 6.5 come off the book (5.5 mill addition to the cap only), he's 27, PLUS, he's been ranked the 2nd best free agent available from the start of free agency. The Pats traded Collins not Hightower which tell you how they feel about his FOOTBALL intelligence.

Plus scouts are saying this draft is LOADED with CBs! Do you all realize that we could end up adding Hightower, Hooker or Adams, 3rd round CB & TE or RB? Sign me up. That's a defense if these young guys come on in their 2nd year that could grow into something special. Remember Jet fans 2 year rebuild, 2 years! Offenses can always play control ball when your D plays well, but if your D stinks & you play from behind, bad things happen when young offensive players are forced to press.

It's a good thing investing all of our assets in defense has worked out swimmingly for the Jets in the past.

[UntouchableCrew]

13 minutes ago, Warfish said:

I could not agree more.  This seems like a horrible, poorly thought out move.  Wrong for where this franchise is, wrong on the player (he's a system guy ffs, slow and not overly athletic, which is fine in the Pats system), and very wrong on the money.

All for a player who is clearly using the Jets to try and leverage a better deal from New England, or if that fails, Pittsburgh.

We're being played, for a guy who's the wrong player at the wrong time for the wrong system at the wrong price.

SOJ I suppose.

In fairness, him using us to force the Pats to pay more ins't really a disaster is it?

[The Crusher]

11 hours ago, Mike135 said:

Wouldn't mind the move.  Harris is the man but obviously near the end.  I don't see anything wrong with spending some cap space for another defensive leader type that can take over Harris' role while also adding a nice pass rush ability.

The rest of the LBS corps is young, so it probably makes sense to have a veteran with championship experience leading them.

Plus it hurts the Pats.

Won't mind however this turns out.

Too bad they have a habit of winning championships to dull the pain.

[Augustiniak]

17 minutes ago, Warfish said:

I could not agree more.  This seems like a horrible, poorly thought out move.  Wrong for where this franchise is, wrong on the player (he's a system guy ffs, slow and not overly athletic, which is fine in the Pats system), and very wrong on the money.

All for a player who is clearly using the Jets to try and leverage a better deal from New England, or if that fails, Pittsburgh.

We're being played, for a guy who's the wrong player at the wrong time for the wrong system at the wrong price.

SOJ I suppose.

this doesn't feel right.  forget that he's on NE.  here we are again, the team is more than willing to throw top dollar on a defensive player while they  spend modestly on offense.  

[AFJF]

This move only makes sense if they're making a deal for a decent QB.  Otherwise, why make a guy the top paid player at his position when he is not the top player at his position, on a team that's going to be no good for the next few years?  

[Jetster]

43 minutes ago, UntouchableCrew said:

It's a good thing investing all of our assets in defense has worked out swimmingly for the Jets in the past.

We have enough horses on offense if they draft a TE & RB

43 minutes ago, UntouchableCrew said:

It's a good thing investing all of our assets in defense has worked out swimmingly for the Jets in the past.

 

[Rangers9]

Hightower is probably a better fit for New England than he is with us. Like McCourty he is a great on the field presence and understands their D scheme and translates that with teammates on the field which is the reason for their success. Plus he makes plays. So if me I don't give him the highest salary at his position because he might not be as valuable to us as to them. Plus like another poster said how's about spending some money on offense. Chances are as usual we will take a D player with our first round pick. Probably if we don't trade down the Ohio State corner.