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Starting LB-Abraham, James, Burdett, and Ware
Thoughts?
ABRAHAM MAY BE A GONER
By MARK CANNIZZARO
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HONEST, ABE: Fearful of being burned again by the injury bug as he was with Chad Pennington, Jets owner Woody Johnson may be reluctant to invest the large sum needed to retain former Pro Bowl DE John Abraham, The Post has learned.
Photo: Wireimage.com
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December 29, 2005 --
NEW YORK POST EXCLUSIVE
There are many within the Jets organization who'd like to lock up defensive end John Abraham with a long-term contract after this season and allow him to flourish as a long-term bedrock of their defense.
However, according to a highly placed NFL source familiar with the thinking of the Jets brass and who spoke only on the condition of anonymity, Jets owner Woody Johnson is "reluctant" to dole out a huge signing bonus to Abraham.
"Woody doesn't want to pay out all that money to one player," the source told The Post. "He's still afraid of [Abraham] being injured. He feels stung by what's happened to [Chad] Pennington."
Pennington, who's on injured reserve and rehabbing from a second consecutive rotator-cuff surgery, signed a $64 million contract before the 2004 season and, because of injuries, has played in only 16 games the last two seasons — despite already having pocketed $22 million in guaranteed money.
Based on recent contracts that have been signed by some of the league's top defensive ends, Abraham, a three-time Pro Bowl player, likely will command anywhere from $15-20 million in guaranteed money with a long-term deal.
If Johnson is indeed letting such cart-before-the-horse thinking take over his management philosophy, that's a damning sign for the Jets' coaching and player-personnel staffs. That's playing scared and not to lose, and it could greatly handcuff the organization's football decision-makers.
It also would be an alarming sign to Jets fans, considering the massive retooling this team is going to require in order to become competitive again.
One of the true ironies of this lost season is the fact that, entering Sunday's season finale against the Bills at Giants Stadium, the Jets have placed 12 players on injured reserve and not one of them is named John Abraham.
Abraham's season began with his skipping all of training camp in a contract dispute, and many predicted the injury-prone defensive end to be the Jets' first casualty.
Abraham, after all, entered this season having played all 16 games only twice in his five-year career.
That was the unspoken reason the Jets were wary of signing him to a long-term contract after his original deal expired after last season. It was the reason why the Jets placed the franchise tag on Abraham, something that irked him despite making $6.67 million in 2005.
When the Jets take the field to play the Bills on Sunday, Abraham will have fulfilled his No. 1 goal: He'll be playing in his 16th game.
Though his sack total (91/2) isn't up to his standards, Abraham hopes his improved health, along with his improved play against the run, will earn him the long-term contract he's yearned for.
"It'd be good to say I played 16 games from a personal standpoint, even though the season's not gone the way we wanted it to," Abraham said.
Now the question facing the Jets is this: Do they think enough of Abraham to sign him for the long term, do they franchise him again and pay him $8 million for next season, or do they use him as trade bait to obtain a veteran quarterback or a better position in the draft?
Abraham said yesterday he's prepared for all three scenarios.
Asked if he'd be insulted or angry if the Jets place the franchise tag on him again, Abraham said, "I would do same thing I did this year [skip the offseason program and training camp] and it'd be a little tougher coming to work, definitely. But I would see it as a business thing for them and not a slap in the face. I definitely wouldn't be happy with it, though."
If Abraham were taken away from the Jets defense, there's one person in particular who wouldn't be on board with it: defensive coordinator Donnie Henderson.
"I need him; we need him," Henderson said. "He's still one of our best playmakers. We don't have too many guys on the team that can get 10 to 15 sacks consistently every year."
Thoughts?
ABRAHAM MAY BE A GONER
By MARK CANNIZZARO
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HONEST, ABE: Fearful of being burned again by the injury bug as he was with Chad Pennington, Jets owner Woody Johnson may be reluctant to invest the large sum needed to retain former Pro Bowl DE John Abraham, The Post has learned.
Photo: Wireimage.com
Email Archives
Print Reprint
December 29, 2005 --
NEW YORK POST EXCLUSIVE
There are many within the Jets organization who'd like to lock up defensive end John Abraham with a long-term contract after this season and allow him to flourish as a long-term bedrock of their defense.
However, according to a highly placed NFL source familiar with the thinking of the Jets brass and who spoke only on the condition of anonymity, Jets owner Woody Johnson is "reluctant" to dole out a huge signing bonus to Abraham.
"Woody doesn't want to pay out all that money to one player," the source told The Post. "He's still afraid of [Abraham] being injured. He feels stung by what's happened to [Chad] Pennington."
Pennington, who's on injured reserve and rehabbing from a second consecutive rotator-cuff surgery, signed a $64 million contract before the 2004 season and, because of injuries, has played in only 16 games the last two seasons — despite already having pocketed $22 million in guaranteed money.
Based on recent contracts that have been signed by some of the league's top defensive ends, Abraham, a three-time Pro Bowl player, likely will command anywhere from $15-20 million in guaranteed money with a long-term deal.
If Johnson is indeed letting such cart-before-the-horse thinking take over his management philosophy, that's a damning sign for the Jets' coaching and player-personnel staffs. That's playing scared and not to lose, and it could greatly handcuff the organization's football decision-makers.
It also would be an alarming sign to Jets fans, considering the massive retooling this team is going to require in order to become competitive again.
One of the true ironies of this lost season is the fact that, entering Sunday's season finale against the Bills at Giants Stadium, the Jets have placed 12 players on injured reserve and not one of them is named John Abraham.
Abraham's season began with his skipping all of training camp in a contract dispute, and many predicted the injury-prone defensive end to be the Jets' first casualty.
Abraham, after all, entered this season having played all 16 games only twice in his five-year career.
That was the unspoken reason the Jets were wary of signing him to a long-term contract after his original deal expired after last season. It was the reason why the Jets placed the franchise tag on Abraham, something that irked him despite making $6.67 million in 2005.
When the Jets take the field to play the Bills on Sunday, Abraham will have fulfilled his No. 1 goal: He'll be playing in his 16th game.
Though his sack total (91/2) isn't up to his standards, Abraham hopes his improved health, along with his improved play against the run, will earn him the long-term contract he's yearned for.
"It'd be good to say I played 16 games from a personal standpoint, even though the season's not gone the way we wanted it to," Abraham said.
Now the question facing the Jets is this: Do they think enough of Abraham to sign him for the long term, do they franchise him again and pay him $8 million for next season, or do they use him as trade bait to obtain a veteran quarterback or a better position in the draft?
Abraham said yesterday he's prepared for all three scenarios.
Asked if he'd be insulted or angry if the Jets place the franchise tag on him again, Abraham said, "I would do same thing I did this year [skip the offseason program and training camp] and it'd be a little tougher coming to work, definitely. But I would see it as a business thing for them and not a slap in the face. I definitely wouldn't be happy with it, though."
If Abraham were taken away from the Jets defense, there's one person in particular who wouldn't be on board with it: defensive coordinator Donnie Henderson.
"I need him; we need him," Henderson said. "He's still one of our best playmakers. We don't have too many guys on the team that can get 10 to 15 sacks consistently every year."
