Sidney Rice has interest from Jets, Saints, Seahawks
Sidney Rice (18) against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
The New York Jets made a splash signing when they inked former Denver Broncos No. 2 wide receiver Eric Decker to a lucrative deal near the start of the free agent period, but they are still in the market for more help at the position. Taking a flier on a lesser-known receiver as a quality contributor would make sense, and the Jets previously showed interest in Brandon LaFell and Emmanuel Sanders before they signed elsewhere. Not only are the Jets looking at speedster Jacoby Ford as a potential depth guy and reclamation project, but they are also looking at a bigger name at the position.
Per a source close to the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Jets have shown interest in Sidney Rice, who was an easy cap casualty for the Seattle Seahawks to make. The Seahawks have always been interested in bringing Rice back at a cheaper price, because he does have talent to make up for the fact that he’s usually injured. I’m sure Golden Tate leaving also makes them more interested in bringing back Rice.
Rapoport also reports that the New Orleans Saints have interest in Rice, and that’s a pretty interesting development. They released Lance Moore and let Robert Meachem leave due to cap issues, but they now have things cleared up and would prefer to sign Rice than ask Moore to return (that would appear to be an awkward encounter, and Moore is also set to visit the Pittsburgh Steelers). Rice caught 50 passes for nearly 750 yards and seven touchdowns in 2012, so he’s still a quality wideout who fits best as a nice WR3.