It turned into knock-down, drag out brawl, but the Green Guys finally got their man.
The Jets signed linebacker
Bart Scott
to a six-year, $48 million deal on Friday. The Jets and Baltimore
Ravens danced a little dance to acquire Scott's services, but the Green
and White came out victorious. It was first reported that
the Jets signed Scott to a five-year, $40 million deal, but the Ravens
countered with five years and $42 million. In the end, Scott chose the
Jets because he really wanted to reunite with former defensive
coordinator Rex Ryan.
Oh, and he also happened to sign the richest total contract in Jets history.
But
NFL contracts can be tricky little suckers and the final year of
Scott's deal is loaded with incentives which make it highly unlikely
(and by highly unlikely, I mean impossible) that Scott will receive the
full value of the deal.
Anyway, the addition of Scott gives the
Jets a formidable linebacking corps. Scott will team with David Harris
in the middle, with Calvin Pace and Bryan Thomas on the outside. And
hopefully, Vernon Gholston will make an appearance for the team next
season. Scott also knows the new defense that Ryan will implement and
can help others learn it as well.
If you want to knock Scott
(how dare you!), you can make the argument that he was the beneficiary
of playing alongside Ray Lewis and was the product of a great defense.
We'll just see about that, smart guy.
Scott, 28,
recorded 82 tackles, 1.5 sacks and 2 forced fumbles last season for
Baltimore. He made the Pro Bowl in 2006 with 103 tackles and 9 1/2
sacks.
The Jets also re-signed guard
Brandon Moore. Hallelujah! Gang Green was in hot pursuit of Pittsburgh Steelers guard
Chris Kemoeatu,
offering him a four-year deal worth $16.8 million with $7 million
guaranteed. But money wasn't the overriding factor for Kemoeatu and he
decided to stay in the Steel City (five years, $20 million with $6
million in guarantees).
Moore agreed to a four-year, $16-million
deal that includes $10 million guaranteed. I am both surprised and
elated that the Jets were able to bring back Moore. Again, he might
have been the most consistent member on the offensive front last season
and this means the Jets will bring back the entire starting line for
2009.
So, the Jets started the free agency period with a bang.
They signed an outsider with ties to the new coach and brought back an
insider to solidify the offensive line.
Good show, Mike Tannenbaum.
Leave a comment
