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New York Jets best options Antonio Cromartie, Brandon Flowers, Byron Maxwell

By Kevin Parvizi

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The New York Jets made cornerback Antonio Cromartie a cap casualty last offseason after injuries caused him to underperform well below his cap hit, and he immediately turned a prove-it deal with the Arizona Cardinals into a bounce-back season on the same secondary as top CB Patrick Peterson. Cromartie is eyeing one last payday in free agency at the age of 30, and the Jets and Cro have been heavily linked in what would be a double-reunion for the athletic corner.

According to ESPN NFL Nation’s Josh Weinfuss, Peterson said that “it’s going to be tough” to keep Cromartie in Arizona, as the veteran “loves” New York, and Cromartie himself reminded us that he has a house in New York. With former Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles now the head coach of the Jets, there are many dots to connect here.

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The most important dot, of course, is the Jets desperate need for a true No. 1 cornerback, since it’s not plausible to count on third-year pro Dee Milliner. Although the former first-round pick has shutdown potential, he’s injury-prone and isn’t a sure thing. Bowles knows he needs a shutdown corner in order to have the rest of his defense run smoothly, and while Cro isn’t an elite option, he would be a big upgrade and has played at a shutdown level in the past. I mean, he made some nice plays last season with three picks and ten passes defended.

Bowles has a certain comfort level with Cromartie, and that makes up for the fact that he isn’t the most consistent No. 1 corner in the league. None of the top corners will come cheap in free agency, and Cromartie’s ability to generate turnovers will make up for his age.

While Cromartie has the most connections with Bowles and the Jets, he isn’t even the best or second-best cornerback set to hit the free agent market. Seattle Seahawks physical corner Byron Maxwell will be a priority for his team to keep around, as they have a greater need to keep their cornerback duo intact than they thought before the Super Bowl.

Maxwell didn’t have his best season in 2014, but he still played well and starred at a shutdown level in 2013, particularly in the postseason. If Bowles is looking for someone physical who can stick to receivers man-to-man, then Maxwell would be his best option on paper. This is a guy who has defended 12 passes in back-to-back seasons and faces an awful lot of pressure as the No. 2 corner across from arguably the best cornerback in the NFL; he knows what it’s like to go up against top receivers, since teams don’t like to sacrifice their best weapon to Sherman.

It’s far more likely for Cromartie to hit the free agent market than Maxwell, but the Seahawks No. 2 corner is the most talented and youngest impending free agent at the age of 26. That said, he’ll also be the most expensive if the Seahawks can’t agree to a deal with him, and he could be one of those few corners who fetches premium money.

The Darrelle Revis situation will be monitored closely by Jets fans and others around the league, but he isn’t a realistic option for a reunion, unless if Bowles is comfortable breaking the bank for the No. 1 or 2 CB in the game. Revis could be an option and would immediately be a game-changer for the entire defense, but it’s a very unlikely scenario.

With Revis technically not an impending free agent, though his $20 million option will have to be re-worked by the rival New England Patriots, the AFC’s best impending free agent cornerback is clearly San Diego Chargers CB Brandon Flowers, who made the most of his release from the Kansas City Chiefs. Flowers was a Chiefs icon and a true No. 1 corner for several years before falling off in 2013, since his finesse style didn’t fit Chiefs defensive coordinator Bob Sutton’s press concepts.

The Chargers somehow managed to scoop him up on the cheap, and, before rookie Jason Verrett went down with an injury, they went from having awful corners to having one of the league’s top duos in one offseason. While I’m sure Tom Telesco will do whatever he can to keep Flowers around, the 28-year-old CB knows this is his last chance to reel in a big payday, because he has the talent and past production to pull it off.

Dec 21, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; Seattle Seahawks cornerback Byron Maxwell (41) against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Seahawks defeated the Cardinals 35-6. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Per the U-T San Diego’s Tom Krasovic, Flowers said, “Business is business.”

Krasovic wrote that Flowers likes the organization and seems interested in coming back, so I think there’s a good chance he won’t hit the open market. But if he does, he has to be an intriguing option for Bowles, since Flowers had similar numbers to Cromartie but was less burn-prone in coverage and is two years younger (he’ll be 29 in February).

The problem is that Flowers’s size prevents him from being a prototypical shutdown corner, but it does allow him to play in the slot to cover No. 1 receivers there or top slot guys. I think that makes up for his lack of size and physicality, but I wonder if Bowles would prefer to have a guy like Cromartie or Maxwell who can mix it up with the bigger receivers in this league.

One of John Idzik’s biggest failings as a GM was his inability to add a top cornerback despite the numerous options available last offseason, and that damaged the relationship between him and Rex Ryan even further.

The New York Jets first order of business in free agency will likely be signing a top cornerback, and the best three impending free agents are Cromartie, Maxwell, and Flowers.

Based on all of the links between the Jets and Cro, as well as the fact that the Cardinals look like the least likely of the three to re-sign their impending free agent CB, the most likely option seems to be a reunion between the Jets and Cromartie.That said, it’s worth monitoring each of these three corners closely, and I would look at Houston Texans underrated starter Kareem Jackson as a darkhorse if the Texans somehow don’t re-sign him.

Next: Should Jets go after Hoyer?

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