Jets Talking to Rhodes

[Ghost]

The Jets already have expressed an interest in re-signing safety Kerry Rhodes to a long-term deal, according to a source. Rhodes, an emerging star, has two years remaining on his rookie contract. While no deal is imminent, the interest demonstrates their proactive approach. Linebacker Victor Hobson, a free agent in 2008, also is a candidate for an extension.

Great first J-Cotch and now Rhodes.

[mangenious420]

The Jets already have expressed an interest in re-signing safety Kerry Rhodes to a long-term deal, according to a source. Rhodes, an emerging star, has two years remaining on his rookie contract. While no deal is imminent, the interest demonstrates their proactive approach. Linebacker Victor Hobson, a free agent in 2008, also is a candidate for an extension.

Great first J-Cotch and now Rhodes.

Keep the good news coming. Only thing I havent been 100% with this offseason is keeping Kimo Von Slowhoffen

[Columbia Jet Fan]

Wouldnt have mind waiting a year to do it but this is still great.

[madmike1]

I wish they were this agressive in free agency.

[SoFlaJets]

I wish they were this agressive in free agency.

we never are Mike-and I think it's agood policy-look at what a guy like T.O. did to Dallas last year and all the misguided moves Daniel Snyder has made the past few years.

[madmike1]

we never are Mike-and I think it's agood policy-look at what a guy like T.O. did to Dallas last year and all the misguided moves Daniel Snyder has made the past few years.

So you'd rather the extra money we have just rot?

[drago]

I wish they were this agressive in free agency.

Why? Track records for teams that are agressive aren't great by anymeans. All the good/great teams build off who they currently have, and how many draft picks they can attain. Its not like you don't know that, I guess I'm surprised you are so gun-ho on us signing in free agency. Is it just Thomas or others?

I think we will make our biggest impact in the draft again. I have a feeling we will pull some trades to set us up long term.

[Columbia Jet Fan]

So you'd rather the extra money we have just rot?

See thats my thing...

Why create all this extra cap space if you have zero intention of using it? Its not like there are guys out there who don't "fit the system" there are a lot. People are going to be demanding more money because the cap went up....although it appears that they are being overpaid (and in some cases they are) it is only because the average contract will go up due to the rising cap. We need to make at least one decent/big signing with all this money we have WORKED to get.

[SoFlaJets]

So you'd rather the extra money we have just rot?

I'd rather we spend it on 4 or 5 guys than on 1 big namer- I read we have like 14.5 million left

[madmike1]

Why? Track records for teams that are agressive aren't great by anymeans. All the good/great teams build off who they currently have, and how many draft picks they can attain. Its not like you don't know that, I guess I'm surprised you are so gun-ho on us signing in free agency. Is it just Thomas or others?

I think we will make our biggest impact in the draft again. I have a feeling we will pull some trades to set us up long term.

I just get the idea that they are being cheap with this money they have. Why can't they sign s few good FA's and ALSO build through the draft? A guy like Thomas could have such a positive impact on this team and the fact that they don't even seem to be in the chase for him when they have LOADS of money bothers me.

[KSJets]

And what happens when we keep spending the money on big-name players, only to run out and not have enough to sign our own draftees when their contracts are up? I would rather we use our cap to keep our own players as opposed to overspending on a player, just because we have the $$$ to do so.

[Ghost]

We all want to explore free agency but keeping our young talented players is just as important.

[Ghost]

I have a question ????

What if we don't sign any big name players or give big contracts at all to anyone. How would our cap look for next year ?

[Columbia Jet Fan]

And I am all for building through the draft and developing young guys and assignign role players....but even the Pats....the blueprint of our team knew sometimes you had to go out and sign hired guns (Rodney Harrison, Corey Dillon who I know was brought in through a trade but its still the same idea). It is great to see players like Cotch and Rhodes develop but we need to make moves at some point. Signing guys like Adailus Thomas and Joey Porter (who I hear 2 of our division rivals pats and fins are after) will help our team out tremendously and we need to do it.

[Boozer76]

I just get the idea that they are being cheap with this money they have. Why can't they sign s few good FA's and ALSO build through the draft? A guy like Thomas could have such a positive impact on this team and the fact that they don't even seem to be in the chase for him when they have LOADS of money bothers me.

So, we go and sign Nate Clements-a pretty good (not great) CB for Champ Bailey money and have nothing left to spend? Does Nate Clements make us instant SB contenders? Of course not. You don't spend money just for the fact that you have it. You wisely wait for opportunities that make sense to the team and then use the money. throwing it all at Clements only puts us in a position where we will likely be unable to capitalize on numerous opportunities down the road because we don't have the money to do so. Nate Clements is no Champ Bailey. Unless an individual player is the end all piece to turning your team into a SB contender, overpaying is just a surefire way to have a roster full a few highly overpaid decent palyers and an enormous amount of VonOllhoffens because you can't afford to improve them.

[The Troll]

I actually do not like this.

There should be no sense of urgency to get Rhodes done. Assuming he signed a three-year deal as a rookie, he will be a restricted free agent after the season. If we tender him with the highest tag, there is no way a team is going to give up a 1st and 3rd rounder for a safety. And, even if someone does make an offer, the Jets can match it. THAT is when we should negotiate a long-term deal with him. Whenever he is under the one-year tender. Makes no sense to me why they are doing at least a year before it becomes an issue. Especially today, whenever they SHOULD be wining and dining free agents.

[mangenious420]

I have a question ????

What if we don't sign any big name players or give big contracts at all to anyone. How would our cap look for next year ?

PM Sperm Edwards, or sit and hope he comes across this thread.

[Sperm Edwards]

We are in excellent shape next year. Should be in the ballpark of $30M under the cap even with extending Thomas, Cotchery, Rhodes, & Hobson. D'Brick's contract was nothing like DRob's (even though drafted 3 years later in the same draft slot). Mangold's total contract is like $9M over 5 years & the #25 pick this year won't be much more. If we don't this year, by next year we'll part with Barrett, Barton, McCareins, Kimo, DRob (unless we restructure/extend him); Martin's cap hit will be down to $2M (zero if he retires before July 1st this year); Blaylock will be off the books; this stuff will clear up around $20M compared to what our 2008 cap is projected to be as of today.

The thing is, fans are always in "go get SOME big-bucks player" mode every off-season and don't know what they wish for really other than the absence of "doing nothing." Someone like Adalius Thomas or Porter is different. They are established stars. Wishing we got into a bidding war over Eric Steinbach ($7M/yr from Cleveland) is dumb.

But it wasn't long ago when we made some of these "splashes" in locking up our own players & free agency & the draft for:

Justin McCareins = gave up the #11 pick in round 2 AND gave him a $31M contract with $7M up front.

David Barrett = gave him a $21M contract to make up for whiffing on Winfield.

Chad Pennington = gave him a $64M contract with $18M up front in '04 before he'd started & completed 1 NFL season. At the time, it was the 2nd-highest SB given to any NFL player other than Peyton Manning. Also included roster bonuses of $3M and $2M, which we have paid (or are about to pay today).

Shaun Ellis = gave him a $34M contract with $15.5M up front also in '04. He needed to be restructured because of it & as a result his cap numbers from '07-'09 are $8M - $6M - $8M.

Curtis Martin = gave him a $46M extension at age 29 with (to date) somewhere in the neighborhood of $16M in signing/roster bonuses (just idiotic).

DRob = gave up TWO first round picks AND a fourth round pick AND an insane contract that, with escalators/incentives, will be at least $38M (and potential for more; the maximum with incentives when we signed him as a rookie was a whopping $54M, and that was from a contract way back in 2003). Not one of Tannenbaum's finer moments, but after Bradway gave up so much to pick him, DRob had all the leverage.

Ty Law = Don't remember exactly what we paid him, but to rent his fat ass for one 4-12 season was something like $5M (half of which hit the 2006 cap after we released him).

Chrebet = wasn't worth the contract extension he got around 4 years ago. Didn't live up to what we paid for & created millions in dead cap space after his retirement.

Fabini = think we gave him $7M up front back in '01 or '02 (give or take) when that was a lot. He was a decent tackle for a while, but wasn't worth that kind of money back then.

Cowart = his original contrat was something in the neighborhood of 6 yrs $30M back in 2003. Coming off a blown out knee and changing to a 4-3 defense that he was ill-suited for anyway.

Not to mention Gardner who didn't make a fortune, but his addition erased a compensatory pick in '06. We lost Jordan & McKenzie and only got one comp pick because a FA signed erases a FA lost when the league hands out comp picks; doesn't matter that we lost players to $37M and $27M contracts & signed him to a $1-2M contract - in the league's eyes it's the same and a shrewd GM should be aware of this. So in effect, we "traded" a 3rd-4th round comp pick to have Gardner as a backup for 1 season.

And more recently, Barlow & Kimo, who combined have not lived up to the almost $10M in compensation we've given them and the lost 4th-rounder this year.

You don't throw ridiculous amounts of money at guys who (as another team's FA) you can't really evaluate, or (if re-signing our own players) aren't worth it just to say "well at least they spent the money" for some short-term satisfaction. That's how you lose your OWN non-bust draftees like Coles, Moss, McKenzie, Jordan, Randy Thomas, & Farrior; and prevents the signing of other FA's who will (barring injury) contribute to a strong team core for years to come.

[Boozer76]

I actually do not like this.

There should be no sense of urgency to get Rhodes done. Assuming he signed a three-year deal as a rookie, he will be a restricted free agent after the season. If we tender him with the highest tag, there is no way a team is going to give up a 1st and 3rd rounder for a safety. And, even if someone does make an offer, the Jets can match it. THAT is when we should negotiate a long-term deal with him. Whenever he is under the one-year tender. Makes no sense to me why they are doing at least a year before it becomes an issue. Especially today, whenever they SHOULD be wining and dining free agents.

What FA that does not break the bank is going to turn us into serious contenders? Name me one. Signing Rhodes now keeps him alot cheaper for alot longer than waiting until the last m9inute when he probably has a probowl or 2 under his belt. It's an extremely smart move. you should be one to see that Troll.

[4HCrew]

I think it smart to get guys that the front office identify as their core players signed long term to avoid any potential issues. I would not want to wait with Rhodes as the Jets could get hit with a poison pill contract they could not match. Funny how Vilma is not being mentioned for extension

[The Troll]

What FA that does not break the bank is going to turn us into serious contenders? Name me one. Signing Rhodes now keeps him alot cheaper for alot longer than waiting until the last m9inute when he probably has a probowl or 2 under his belt. It's an extremely smart move. you should be one to see that Troll.

We have Rhodes for a minumum of two more seasons. That, to me, doesn't signify an urgent need to get him resigned on the first day of free agency. Signing Cotchery yesterday was a great move. Trying to get a deal with Rhodes hammered out today seems like a mismanagement of time.

As for free agency, we aren't going anywhere in the immediate future if all we look to do is sign guys like Kassell, Dwight, Kimo, and Chatham.

[madmike1]

As for free agency, we aren't going anywhere in the immediate future if all we look to do is sign guys like Kassell, Dwight, Kimo, and Chatham.

Agreed. If they keep going the way they are going now they are going to be cutting another garbage FA class this time next year.

[Sperm Edwards]

What FA that does not break the bank is going to turn us into serious contenders? Name me one. Signing Rhodes now keeps him alot cheaper for alot longer than waiting until the last m9inute when he probably has a probowl or 2 under his belt. It's an extremely smart move. you should be one to see that Troll.

A mistake we made with Chad. Probably could have gotten away with a $10-11M SB for him in '03. Then we wait a year - the salary cap goes up, Peyton Manning breaks the $20M AND $30M SB barriers, and paves the way for Chad to get $18M after he did nothing on the field to drive his price up.

With 2 years left before he can be a UFA, Rhodes (like many players) will be more likely to take the sure money now. One freak injury in the next 2 years & he's left with nothing (his salary this year is $435K and next year is $460K). He knows it, and you bet your ass his agent knows it.

It should be noted, though, that a 5-year deal with Rhodes is really a 3-year extension in a way. He's already ours for the next two. That being said, lock him up through 2011 while his price is still reasonable. I wouldn't want to lose him in '09.

[ECURB]

Sperm if you dont stop anwering nearly every question that could be asked in just a couple of posts, you will be banned for being a know it all.

I honestly dont know why everyone is so bent that we didnt go sign the world 12 hours into FA....

Why blow our whole wad in one shot? Wait and see what falls to you, there is not ONE player out there that makes us the best team in the AFC if we sign him.

[Boozer76]

A mistake we made with Chad. Probably could have gotten away with a $10-11M SB for him in '03. Then we wait a year - the salary cap goes up, Peyton Manning breaks the $20M AND $30M SB barriers, and paves the way for Chad to get $18M after he did nothing on the field to drive his price up.

With 2 years left before he can be a UFA, Rhodes (like many players) will be more likely to take the sure money now. One freak injury in the next 2 years & he's left with nothing (his salary this year is $435K and next year is $460K). He knows it, and you bet your ass his agent knows it.

It should be noted, though, that a 5-year deal with Rhodes is really a 3-year extension in a way. He's already ours for the next two. That being said, lock him up through 2011 while his price is still reasonable. I wouldn't want to lose him in '09.

A mistake was made with Chad by NOT waiting. Chad had never played a full NFL season and was a huge injury concern. He got an enormous contract for nothing. Signing Rhodes now locks up a young player with 2 years of solid experience at a relatively low price. We wait till next year and the price goes up significantly, esp3ecially if he makes the probowl-a very likely possibility.

[Boozer76]

A mistake we made with Chad. Probably could have gotten away with a $10-11M SB for him in '03. Then we wait a year - the salary cap goes up, Peyton Manning breaks the $20M AND $30M SB barriers, and paves the way for Chad to get $18M after he did nothing on the field to drive his price up.

With 2 years left before he can be a UFA, Rhodes (like many players) will be more likely to take the sure money now. One freak injury in the next 2 years & he's left with nothing (his salary this year is $435K and next year is $460K). He knows it, and you bet your ass his agent knows it.

It should be noted, though, that a 5-year deal with Rhodes is really a 3-year extension in a way. He's already ours for the next two. That being said, lock him up through 2011 while his price is still reasonable. I wouldn't want to lose him in '09.

We have Rhodes for a minumum of two more seasons. That, to me, doesn't signify an urgent need to get him resigned on the first day of free agency. Signing Cotchery yesterday was a great move. Trying to get a deal with Rhodes hammered out today seems like a mismanagement of time.

As for free agency, we aren't going anywhere in the immediate future if all we look to do is sign guys like Kassell, Dwight, Kimo, and Chatham.

Troll, where did you hear that there was any urgency to sign Rhodes today? Allthe article said is the Jets expressed interest in locking him up long term. It a smarty proactive move.

[oktaren]

rhodes is an up and coming player....lock him up before he wants too much!

[The Troll]

Troll, where did you hear that there was any urgency to sign Rhodes today? Allthe article said is the Jets expressed interest in locking him up long term. It a smarty proactive move.

I just don't think there is any need to make the move now whenever he won't hit the market for two years. And, even if he DOES hit the market, it's not like franchising a safety will kill the cap.

[ECURB]

I just don't think there is any need to make the move now whenever he won't hit the market for two years. And, even if he DOES hit the market, it's not like franchising a safety will kill the cap.

Right now we can keep his contract wayyy under what he is worth for a good 5 years.... why not do it?

If we wait and he has another great year... poof he is one of the highest paid safeties in the NFL

[Ghost]

Right now we can keep his contract wayyy under what he is worth for a good 5 years.... why not do it?

If we wait and he has another great year... poof he is one of the highest paid safeties in the NFL

Your right again my friend. I'm glad this is happening.