The New York Jets are preparing to add in some offensive fire power to help out whoever steps in at quarterback this season. With the offseason set to begin right around the corner, the Jets are starting to make some big decisions on current roster players in order to make room for bigger names under Todd Bowles' new regime. Things are already in motion with the release of Chris Johnson and could roll over to Percy Harvin before some top free agents get targeted.
The Jets announced on Monday that running back Chris Johnson would not be returning for the second year of his contract signed prior to the 2014 season. The Jets signed Johnson with the intentions of getting the running back to return to his 2,000-yard rushing ways, but that experiment failed as he was off the field more than on it. Johnson was not thrilled at being released from the Jets telling the media that they lied to him about what his role on the team would be and he is perfectly capable of carrying a team. The Jets had Johnson split carries with Chris Ivory during the season.
"I think I went into a situation where I was told one thing and it was another," Johnson said via "The Rich Eisen Show." "Throughout the whole thing, I think last year, with that organization, I think a lot of the stuff was out of Rex's hands. A lot of the things that we were doing I think it was out of Rex's hands. Don't nobody know, but it was a [bad] situation."
The Jets did finish with the No. 3 rushing attack in the league, but they cannot leave the responsibility up to Ivory. The tandem worked well for New York and the money saved from Johnson could have the team targeting a big name or trade. The Jets will have the cap space to at least begin talks with someone like DeMarco Murray. According to the New York Daily News, they are looking at CJ Spiller considering his familiarity with Chan Gailey's offense.
The other player preparing to be released is Percy Harvin and the Jets must make that call come March 12. The Daily News believes Harvin is good as gone simply because he is too expensive to maintain, but that does not mean the Jets will not look for a big name on the market to take his place. New York needs someone to run tandem with Eric Decker and could look at everyone from Michael Crabtree to Demaryius Thomas or Jeremy Maclin. There are a lot of solid receivers hitting the market and the Jets will be buyers.
With Geno Smith unlikely to remain the starting quarterback, the Jets need offensive weapons to help someone step in. Most NFL Draft experts have the Jets selecting Marcus Mariota and starting him immediately. The rookie quarterback will struggle if he does not have talent around him.
