I was in the group that was upset with the FO when this occurred but midway through the season I ate my crow. Good move by the FO.
At the time it wasn't a "to bring Ellis back or to not bring Ellis back" issue, but a "we offered you a contract and you want more money so, if you don't like our offer, find a better one elsewhere". I'd fully support signing him to the vet minimum to end his career as a Jet.
Of course it was proven to be a good move. The instant the Pats gave him 4 million, we made the right move. He wasn't worth the vet minimum last year, let alone 4 million. So therefore we made the right decision, loyalty be damned.
The Jets were plenty loyal. Over the course of his career they paid him many millions of dollars for production. During the Parcells era, and specifically after, the Jets got in a lot of trouble giving out reward contracts and overpaying for guys who had left their prime in another city. You don't do it. Certainly, the Jets could have offered Ellis slightly more, but they had no obligation to overpay. -X-
What leads you to the conclusion of "completely done"? Just because the Pats don't want him doesn't mean he's less talented than the 53rd man. I'm not saying it's a need, but I'd like to see him back at the minimum.
Well at least he got that last 4 million he could get, good for him. I guess that equated to roughly 267K a tackle the Pats paid him. Glad we let him walk...then the way he took a shot at us as he walked out the door. Fuck him
Id rather see a young , talented player on the roster then an old guy with nothing to contribute at this point! Why should he get playing time at a rookie or young guys expense?
Yeah I wanted to keep him, but once I heard what the Pats were offering him, no way. That was real scary Pats D line with Haynesworth and Ellis right?
Applying Quote 2's logic to Quote 1, the Jets can't afford to spend one of their picks on a DE. Assuming the Jets sign an UDFA DE, why not let him and Ellis (signed for the minimum) compete in camp? In this scenario, if the young player is talented enough then he'll make the roster and Ellis will be cut. Furthermore, needs can't override necessary depth at every position... It's not as though the Jets can afford to allot 10 roster spots to Safeties and 12 to Wide Receivers. Regardless of need the Jets will still need at least one more DE going into the season to provide depth at the position.
This right here. Jets made the right move with Ellis. Loyalty has no place in the NFL, only productivity. Hell, if the Jets were loyal to Ellis, they would have signed him for another 2 or 3 years, just like they did with Marvin Jones and Mo Lewis.
I like Ellis until he signed with the Pats. I don't like Ellis that much anymore. See ya big cat, smoke a scooby doobie for me brah.
