Tomlinson is entering day two in New York visiting with Jets officials after leaving Minnesota without a contract offer. The Jets will continue to “woo” the free agent running back today, but are the Jets the best suited for LT?
To me, the signing would not make very much sense.
The New York Jets are just days separated from releasing their leading rusher of the last three years in Thomas Jones (who is now a Kansas City Chief) , and are about to bring in a running back with much more wear on his tires than Jones.
That is a bad move not only for the Jets, but for Tomlinson as well.
The Jets releasing of Jones may have had something to do with him being due a roster bonus of $3 million dollars bringing his total price tag for 2010 to $5.8 million, but it had more to do with the youth and talent they had sitting behind Jones.
Shonn Greene and Leon Washington were the main factors in Thomas Jones being shown the door in New York. Washington was well on his way to his best season in 2009 before fracturing his fibula, while Greene found his spark in the post-season as he scored the game-winning touchdown in the opening round against the Bengals.
Tomlinson, who may come in at a price slightly lower than Jones, it won’t be by much. The Jets will end up overpaying for an over-the-hill running back, when they had one on the roster in Jones who had, in recent years, outperformed Tomlinson on the field, and there is nothing to suggest anything different to take place in 2010.
Tomlinson has been a work horse throughout his career, and those effects have been beginning to show. Meanwhile, Jones has been putting together consistent years, without having the overall carries to even compete with Tomlinson, making him much less susceptible to the drop-off that Tomlinson suffered.
Don’t get me wrong, Tomlinson should consider it a privilege to be able to sign with two playoff caliber teams such as the Jets or Vikings, but why would he choose the Jets over the Vikings is what strikes me?
The connection may come with offensive coordinator, Brian Schottenheimer, who worked with Tomlinson during their time in San Diego. However, if Tomlinson is looking to win while getting his playing time, he should hop on the next flight back to Minnesota and sign on that dotted line.
With the presence of Shonn Greene and Leon Washington, there is no way that Tomlinson will get the title of being the “1A” back in New York that he was promised in Minnesota.
While Tomlinson is certainly on his way to the Hall of Fame, and he has been one of my favorite players to watch, his time is coming to a close. He just doesn’t possess the same attributes that made him that high caliber player, and would find himself struggling for carries behind Greene and Washington. It would serve him better to take the “1A” spot behind Adrian Peterson and finally get himself a Super Bowl.
Tomlinson has been rumored to have visits scheduled with Philadelphia and New Orleans should he leave New York without a contract, but neither of those teams will be making an offer serious enough to compete with the Jets or Vikings. Although, the Eagles could probably use him the most out of all four of the teams mentioned.