Yeah man. I just want them to work on a Seminole/Tiger formation on the offseason. Also that just shows the heart of this team and much due credit to Rex Ryan. One man goes down another steps up. 2 big threats we know of now. Also all the interviews ive seen with Tony Richardson, TJ, and Shonn..they say everytime they go out on the field they do it for Leon.
I love Leon.. guy is a hard wroker, he's passionate and he brings another dimension to this O with his passing play abilities. But he HAS to understand he can't pull too much money out of the Jets right now. B. Smith has proven he's good on KR and Leon has never been a good PR. Also the return game is where you get the most violent hits and I don't want to risk Leon after the injury he sustained. On the running side of the ball Leon and Greene are our future with TJ helping out another year or two... but Leon has to understand he'll never get more than 200-250 touches per season in this off-season... so he can't get paid like a guy who carries the ball 300+. He'll be useful in our Seminole/Tigers offense. That to me equates to about 3 mill a year... maybe 3.5 considering incentives. If he wants more as much as I love the guy goodbye Mr. Leon. PS: This year we ran the ball 600 times... It would be a fair assumption that next our RBs get around 200 carries each, with Leon maybe getting a little less because they'll also use him in the passing game. Next year for us will be something in the lines of: Greene 220 TJ 180 Leon 150 + 25 passes B. Smith, Sanchez, Weatherford etc around 30
If Leon comes back at full strength we'll have the best backfield in football with him, TJ and Greene ... even better when you add Brad Smith into the mix. Is there another team that goes that deep?
You bring up some great points. In addition, Washington is going to be 28 years old when next season starts. This is not exactly very young for a RB. Plus he is coming back from devastating injury, and as much as I'd like to hope for 100% recovery, I just don't think he will be close to 100% next year. Maybe a year after he will be at full strength, maybe never. Certainly we can't expect him to play next year as well as he did this year. And with Greene emerging and TJ just having had his best season in NFL (top 3 runner in NFL) we simply can't afford to pay Washington as a starter, not to mention star player. I want to have him back, but for back-up type of money. Nowhere near what we were willing to offer a year before, which he was foolish enough to decline.
I love what Brad Smith has done, but he's not even close to the player Leon is. Leon is better as a return man, and I don't see anyone else on our team catching passes out of the backfield. You're talking about the guy who LEAD THE LEAGUE in all-purpose yards last year. There's no way I want him playing for anyone but us. How soon we forget
Not forgot, just realized things have changed. Greene is playing amazing, Smith is returning well, and most importantly Washington sustained career threatening injury. Every contract has built in risk in it. Next off-season this risk is much higher than last season. There is absolutely no way we can offer the same deal to Leon as we had before. You have to put this good news of his recovery in perspective. It is still an uphill battle. He needs to recover not to the point where he can walk normally or even run, but to the point where he is taking unimaginable punishment on that leg for entire NFL season. And that takes years, if possible at all. Even if you have the best medical care and no other job. I want to see Leon on the team next year. But I think TJ and Greene are going to be more valuable for us next season. If we can get Leon for back-up type of money, I would sign him for sure. But if he wants big contract, I just don't think the franchise can afford to give it to him and eat up CAP room, which can be spent for better players.
