Santonio Holmes (10) is unable to catch a pass in the end zone. Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
The New York Jets decision to release Santonio Holmes and save a large sum of money was a no-brainer, especially since GM John Idzik doesn’t seem to be a fan of players who are character concerns. We also know quite well that the cap guru hates spending big money on players that aren’t productive, and Holmes has a combined 43 receptions in the past two seasons to display his lack of productivity. Of course, he did average nearly 20 yards per reception this past season and played in just 15 games in the past two seasons, but those two facts hardly hide Holmes’s ineffectiveness since producing like a solid WR2 when he first joined the organization.
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reports that Holmes will “likely” wait until after the draft to sign with a team, and this confirms that his market has been non-existent to this point. There’s no doubt that Holmes has great physical tools, but those don’t mean much in the face of massive injury and character concerns. The 30-year-old can still be a quality weapon, but that also assumes that he’s healthy and motivated, which are two things that can’t be counted on with Holmes at this point.
It’s not surprising to hear that Holmes will wait until after the draft to get a deal, as teams that weren’t able to capitalize enough on this year’s deep group of wide receivers will be willing to take a flier on Holmes’s talent. He hasn’t received a whiff of interest since the Jets dumped him just before the new league year started, so his best bet is to play the waiting game.