Former Knick Porzingis Linked to Rape Accusations

At least Kristaps Porzingis is no longer the Knicks problem, because the former Knick is facing huge legal trouble after a woman has accused him of rape.

According to reports, the woman was allegedly raped over a year ago, but waited to tell authorities because she had discussed receiving $68,000 in hush money from Porzingis.

Porzingis was still playing for the Knicks when the incident happened, ironically just hours after he sustained the ACL injury that ended his season -- and ultimately his Knicks career.

ESPN reports that the Knicks made the Dallas Mavericks aware of the incident before finalizing a blockbuster trade to send the failing star to Big D.

Of course the Knicks, Mavericks and Porizingis representation have imposed gag orders and are keeping quiet.

Voit Blast Powers Bombers to Dominant Win over Orioles

YANKEES 7 - ORIOLES 2 

The Yankees picked up right where they left of in 2018. One of baseball's best offensive squads, the Yankees thumped the hapless Baltimore Orioles 7-2 at the Stadium to open the 2019 season. 

First base has been a huge concern for Yankees fans all winter, until today. Slotted in the DH spot on Thursday, Luke Voit quieted the critics  when he crushed a 93-mph heater over the center field wall for a three-run bomb in the bottom of the first inning. 

The homer catapulted the Yankees to victory, and was the perfect start for Voit, who added another RBI in the bottom of the fifth when he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. 

And speaking of Greg Bird, yes, he got into the action too. The lumbering first baseman went 1-for-4 on the day, connecting on a solo home run in the eighth to give the Yankees that 7-2 advantage. 

All those runs were to the benefit of starter Mashairo Tanaka. Tanaka did just enough to get the win today, going 5-2/3 innings, allowing an earned run on six hits. He walked none and struck out five. 

Through the first three innings, Tanaka was dominant, retiring the side in order in the second and third innings respectively. 

The Yankee pen was up to the task as the combination of Adam Ottavino, Zach Britton and Aroldis Chapman proved to be way too much for the free swinging Orioles. 

In all, it was another beautiful day in the Bronx. The Yankees play the Orioles again on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. James Paxton will make his Yankees debut.  

Cano, Diaz Power Mets over Nats on Opening Day

METS 2 - NATIONALS 0 

1-0, and it feels so good!

Everything went according to plan for the Mets in their 2-0 victory over the Washington Nationals in DC on Thursday to open the season.  Not only did the win add to New York’s MLB best winning percentage in the opener, but a number of the integral and key pieces that made up the Mets offseason came through in the clutch.

Of course, no one had a bigger impact than Robinson Cano, who went 2-for-4 and accounted for all the runs scored on the afternoon.

It didn’t take Cano long to put his staple on the game. Taking a 1-1 change-up from Max Scherzer that hung over the middle of the plate, Cano slapped the ball over the center field wall for a solo home run to give the Mets a 1-0 lead.

For the Mets it was the opening salvo that General Manager Brodie VanWagenen was hoping for when he swung the deal last December for the former Yankees All Star.

In the eighth inning with Dominic Smith and Pete Alonso on base, Cano slapped a 91 mph sinker into shallow left to drive home Smith with the added security. 

All of Cano’s efforts proved to more then enough for New York’s $137.5 million man, Jacob deGrom who spent the better part of his day bending, but not breaking against a tricky Nationals lineup.

While deGrom’s slash line looks clean to the naked eye, allowing no runs over six innings while walking one and striking out 10, it was not that easy.  deGrom didn’t have his best stuff as he battled in out of trouble.

In the bottom of the first, deGrom gave up a single to Trea Turner and walked Juan Soto before jamming Ryan Zimmerman on a liner to third that was handled beautifully by third baseman Jeff McNeil.

After striking out the side in the bottom of the second, deGrom found himself in a jam again in the third inning.  He surrendered a leadoff double to Victor Robles and a single to Adam Eaton to put runners on the corner. deGrom fought back to strike out Turner, before inducing a 5-4-4-2-5 double-play grounder off the bat of Met killer Anthony Rendon to get out of the jam.

Finally in the sixth inning, still clinging to that 1-0 lead, deGrom found a way to work out a pair of Trea Turner stolen bases to get out of the inning unscathed.

While it wasn’t easy, it was a good first start for the reigning Cy Young Award winner.

The Mets bullpen was pretty solid. Seth Lugo was in midseason form, striking out the side in the bottom of the seventh.

Jeurys Familia once again gave Mets fans sweaty palms when he hit Eaton with a fastball to put a man on with one out, but he managed to get past the mistake, getting Turner and Rendon to both ground out to get out of the eighth.

Finally, Edwin Diaz looked the part of a big time closer in the ninth. Acquired with Cano in the Seattle Mariner trade, Diaz was 66-0 in games he pitched when Seattle had a lead last year. He’s 1-0 with the Mets after a clean bottom of the ninth.

So the off-season is officially over. The snow is gone, the temperature is going up, and the Mets are off to another fast start. Game two in D.C. on Saturday. Noah Syndergaard gets the ball for the Amazin’s.

Jacob deGrom FINALY Gets Paid by Mets

Mets fans can take a big sigh of relief. 

Jacob deGrom will be a New York Met for a very long time to come. After much deliberation and discussion the Mets and deGrom agreed to a five-year deal worth around $137.5 million in guaranteed money. The deal was struck just two days before deGrom's self-imposed opening day deadline to reach an agreement on a contract extension. The deal also comes nearly 48 hours after deGrom's teammate, Noah Syndergaard took on Mets team brass when he publicly expressed frustration that the 2018 NL Cy Young award winner had yet to receive a new deal. 

deGrom, who was scheduled to make $17 million this season after winning his arbitration case during the winter, will now get $10 million at signing, and $7 million for this season, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. 

Moving forward, deGrom will make $23 million in 2020 and $33.5 million in 2021 and 2022, which includes an opt-out clause after the 2022 season. deGrom also gets a full no-trade clause in the deal. Should he not opt out of his deal, deGrom would be scheduled to make $30. 5 million in 2023 and $32.5 million in 2024. 

Of course this deal comes to the delight of Mets fans who have been clamoring for Fred and Jeff Wilpon to open up the checkbook and get deGrom signed, sealed and delivered on a long term deal. The tension only picked up when other players around Major League Baseball, such as Chris Sale (5-years, $145 million from the Red Sox), Justin Verlander (2-years, $66 million from the Astros), Luis Severino (4-years $40 million from the Yankees), and Blake Snell (5-years, $50 million from the Tampa Rays) all cashed in on contracts while deGrom sat there with no deal in sight. 

Even deGrom himself was not optimistic a deal was imminent, hinting that the deadline would likely pass without a contract in place. But low and behold here we are. 

The Mets have their ace under contract for the foreseeable future, and all is well -- at least until the Mets consider resigning Syndergaard, or even Zach Wheeler to contracts in the future. 

With the deGrom drama now behind them, the focus now turns to the season where the Mets will feature a roster with a number of new faces including former Yankee Robinson Cano, and former Mariners closer Edwin Diaz. The Mets open the season against the Washington Nationals on Thursday at 1 p.m. 

Sydergaard blasts the Mets as season nears

Noah Syndergaard is mad as Hell, and he isn’t going to take it anymore.

The Mets hard-throwing right-hander delivered some high heat in the direction of the teams’ front office and ownership when he spoke candidly about his unhappiness with Jacob deGrom’s contract situation and the Mets travel schedule.

“Jake is the best pitcher in baseball right now,” Syndergaard told reporters, Sunday. “I think he deserves whatever amount he’s worth and I want to keep him happy so when it becomes time to reach free agency, he stays on our side and pitches for the Mets. I just think they should quit all this fuss and pay the man already.”

The comments come a day after deGrom told reporters that he was “less than optimistic” that a deal would be struck between his new agent and the Mets by a deadline of Opening Day, March 28.  Should neither side strike a deal by then, deGrom said he would cut off talks on a deal until after the season concludes.

Of course the pressure to get a deal down got ratcheted up the past few days when Chris Sale inked a five-year $145 million extension with the Boston Red Sox, and Justin Verlander signed a two-year $66 million extension in Houston. Both pitchers are over 30-years old.

Even the typically cash strapped Tampa Bay Rays broke the bank for their Cy Young winner Blake Snell, extending him to a five-year, $50 million deal.

 “If there wasn’t a trend of other guys getting contract extensions then I don’t know what the circumstance would be, but you see Chris Sale, Verlander, those guys getting extensions, I think it’s time Jacob gets one, too,” Syndergaard added.

Syndergaard later ripped into the Mets travel schedule, which includes a 130-mile bus trip from Port St. Lucie to Sarasota to scrimmage the Baltimore Orioles, before flying north to Syracuse for a workout on Tuesday. The Mets open the season, Thursday in Washington D.C.

“You think we would go to New York to get, like adults, our things, our affairs in order, but no, we have got to go to Syracuse first,” Syndergaard said. “I don’t know whose idea that was, but it’s not a smart one. I don’t think that’s conducive for winning ballgames with that much travel.”

Ouch. Watch out for the chin music Fred and Jeff Wilpon.

Syndergaard’s comments highlight what could be budding tension between the players and the Mets front office.

Even the New York Post’s Kevin Kernan reported a “sense the team’s displeasure” regarding the long road trip to end spring training. Syndergaard even told reporters that players have expressed their concerns to management about the situation, but it went “unheard.”

One has to wonder if Syndergaard’s comments are part of sume underlying frustration that finally boiled over.

In the last seven months Syndergaard has seen the front office hire the agent he and deGrom once shared in Brodie VanWagenen as their club’s next General Manager. Now the man once responsible for getting players the best deal possible, is now responsible for the Mets baseball finances.

Syndergaard then had to endure rampant speculation during the offseason that the Mets would consider trading him if a deal was right.

On top of that Syndergaard is thinking of his own contract future in blue and orange. With deGrom’s contract extension up in the air, and Zach Wheeler a free agent to be after the season, how the Mets handle the business side will serve as precedent for Syndergaard’s eventual contract negotiation.

While the Wilpon’s aren’t statistically as “cheap” as people think (they have a payroll of $146 million), for fans who have questioned ownerships commitment to excellence, they will look at Syndergaard’s comments as gospel.

With Opening Day just a couple of days away, this controversy is the last thing the Mets wanted going into a new season.

deGrom Still No Contract as Deadline Looms

A group of Cy Young Award winners have singed long-term deals with their respective teams this week.

And no, Jacob deGrom is not among that group.

With less than a week to go before opening day, and deGrom’s self-imposed deadline to strike a deal with the Mets looming, there is no word on whether deGrom and the Mets are any closer to a long-term extension. And if you are a Mets fan, you have to be frustrated, confused, and maybe even angry.

While deGrom’s contract status twists in the wind, the Tampa Bay Rays finalized a five-year $50 million deal with their Cy Young award winner, Blake Snell.

Granted Snell is younger than deGrom; he’s only 26 compared to deGrom’s 30. And Snell won 21 games and pitched to a 1.89 ERA against American League lineups, one could argue that deGrom’s Cy Young season last year was more impressive.

While he went only 10-9 on the win-loss record, deGrom consistently pitched at the top of his game inspite of the fact he got little to no run support in his starts. In 21 of his 33 starts, the Mets scored three runs or less for deGrom, and somehow the right-hander never waivered, allowing no more than three runs in any of those outings. A lot of the losing came as a result of not only a poor offensive team, but a leaky Met bullpen as well.

Put deGrom’s 2018 season with last year’s Red Sox or Yankees, and he probably would have won 20-plus games.

In addition, deGrom has easily been the Mets most consistent pitcher over the last four seasons.

In 2017, a year removed from Tommy John’s Surgery, deGrom won 15 games, while leading the Mets in strikeouts with 239 and a sparkling WHIP of 1.18.

Two years earlier, in 2015, deGrom notched his first All Star bid, while posting a record of 14-8, an ERA of 2.70, and WHIP of 0.97. His postseason in 2015 wasn’t bad either, notching three victories, two of which came in dominant efforts against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Division Series that year.

Compared to Chris Sale and Justin Verlander, two of deGrom’s peers who were just paid handsomely by the Red Sox and Astros, respectively, the Mets ace is right up there with some of the best in baseball over the last four seasons.

And yet, all we hear is silence … for now … on a possible contract extension.

If the Mets were hoping to get deGrom on a team-friendly deal, they can forget it now, especially after Chris Sale signed a $145 million deal with the Red Sox.

Sale, who is also 30-years old, will make roughly $30 million a season in the first three years of the deal. By the time the deal ends, Sale will be 35-years old.

This is same Chris Sale who was a runner up for the Cy Young Award in 2017, and dealt with not one, but two stints on the Injury List last season, and was not himself in the postseason last year.

Meanwhile, the 36-year old Justin Verlander will make $66 million over the next years in Houston after agreeing to an extension.

So what’s the hold up? The Mets probably feel they are already paying deGrom handsomely as is. He is due to make $17 million this season, and has another year of arbitration left in 2020 where some have estimated he could make $20 million-plus.

The Mets don’t have to do a deal if they don’t want to, but it would only make sense to lock up their best pitcher right now on a four or five-year deal assuring they get the rest of deGrom’s prime years for the foreseeable future.

Eli Manning will Return as Giants Quarterback

Eli Manning is not going anywhere.

And if you think he should, Giants General Manager David Gettleman probably feels you should get a life.

Asked by reporters during a conference call if he still had confidence in the aging quarterback, Gettleman said: "This narrative Eli is overpaid and can't play is a crock," Gettleman told reporters Monday during a teleconference. "I'm telling you. So at the end of the day you guys got to say Gentleman's out of his mind, or he knows what he's talking about when he evaluates players. That's really what it is. That's really where it's at.

"And I'm OK if you disagree with me, that's fine. But what I'm telling you is, if you turn around and look at what he's making right now and look around the league and see what quarterbacks are making, alright, if you were in my shoes you'd say, you know what, there really is not, the way he finished the season and what he's making, there really wasn't a decision to make."

And you know what? Genttleman is the one full of "crock." We know he doesn't care, but com'on! Manning will count $23 million against the cap this year. Had the Giants elected to cut him last week, they would be on the hook for only $6.2 million. The logical thing would have been to cut Manning. 

But doing what is right for the present state of the franchise, and what is right for the franchise quarterback that won two Super Bowls has been a tricky state of affairs for Big Blue to deal with. 

How tricky? It cost Ben McAdoo and Jerry Reese their jobs two years ago. 

Certainly trading Odell Beckham Jr. and releasing Landon Collins signaled that the Giants were preparing to move in a new direction, but keeping Manning around accomplishes what exactly? That is still to be determined. 

The Giants need to be in a market for a new quarterback, there is no doubt about that now. Manning is 38-years-old, and not getting any younger. The time has come for the Giants to embrace a full rebuild. Are the Giants seriously going to draft a quarterback in the first round and sit him for a whole year? Do the Giants even bother drafting a quarterback? Stranger things have happened under the Gettleman/Shurmur regime. 

Recap of the Odell Beckham Jr. Trade Podcast

Here is today's podcast, a reaction and analysis of the Giants huge trade with the Cleveland Browns that has sent star receiver Odell Beckham Jr. packing.

Ringing the Bell, Jets Sign Le'Veon Bell Ending Wild Standoff

Well, well, well that last post I did on the Jets offseason didn't age well. ;-)

Welcome to the fast and furious world of the NFL Free Agent Frenzy.

The Jets got their man. New York has signed former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell to a four year, $52 million contract with $35 million guaranteed. Incentives could push the deal over $61 million.

The singing of Bell ends a ton of drama surrounding his potential signing in Green and White. Earlier Tuesday, it appeared the Jets would be on the outside looking in at the Bell sweepstakes with teams like the Raiders and Ravens heavily rumored to be involved for Bell's services.

It got to the point Tuesday that the Jets set an unspecific deadline for Bell to notify them of his decision, making it looking it even more likely that this moment wouldn't have come to pass. But it has.

After forgoing $14 million by sitting out for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Bell now heads to the biggest pressure cooker in sports, New York City. There are no more excuses. Bell must become for this franchise what Curtis Martin and Freeman McNeil were to the Jets before him.

From 2013-2017, Bell averaged 128.9 yards per game, which was clearly the best of any back in the NFL over his first five seasons. In addition Bell has ran for over 1200 yards in three of his five seasons in the NFL, and is an adept pass catcher, average about 8.5 yards per catch. Clearly this is a player that is going to become a huge weapon for quarterback Sam Darnold. The potential is beyond appealing.

The Jets have desperately needed a big time running back out of the backfield. Whether it be Isaiah Crowell, Bilal Powell, Matt Forte, Chris Johnson, and Chris Ivory, none of them combined for the kind of explosiveness that Bell can provide all by himself. The Jets really haven't had a true back since Martin retired, and one could even argue the Jets haven't been a good running team since the days of Thomas Jones and Shonn Greene.

So while it was wild and wholly, give Mike Maccagnan some credit. Inspite of how badly things looked Tuesday night, he stuck to his guns and got his guy.

Giants Trade Odell Beckham to the Browns

Yes this is real folks! Odell Beckham is no longer a member of the New York Giants.

Big Blue sent Beckham, their talented and troubled star receiver, packing to the Cleveland Browns for a first round pick (17th overall) and third round pick (95th overall) in next month's draft and safety Jabrill Peppers.

During an offseason where the Giants have sent mixed messages about what their intent was for 2019, it is pretty clear now that this season is about a complete and total rebuild.

The first domino to fall was Landon Collins. Now Beckham. Could Eli Manning be next? More on that in a moment.

To say Beckham's trade was stunning is an understatement. The Giants signed Beckham to a $98.5 million contract last summer, making it appear extremely unlikely they would trade him. Just the idea that some team would willingly eat the rest of that contract itself would have been a poison pill.

But don't tell that to the Browns who wanted to add some star power to join their polarizing quarterback Baker Mayfield.

The fact is Beckham has  worn out his welcome in New York. As talented as he is, Beckham is a malcontent. Whether it be the constant pouting about his contract to his behavior on the field, which includes punching a field goal kicking net, peeing like a dog after a touchdown, and also putting a gigantic hole in a wall in the Green Bay Packers visiting locker room, there were a laundry list of issues. He just didn't get it.

At the same time, nobody was a more dynamic player on the field when healthy. The Giants are surely going to miss that.

The bigger question is what does this mean for Manning's place on the roster? Where are the Giants going to go for talent if Manning is still here?

Manning is due to make $23 million this year. If he is cut on March 17,  the Giants owe him only $6.2 million. The logical thing to do is cut him. Manning has given no indication that he will retire, so the Giants face the toughest decision in franchise history.

For a team that has had only one winning season in the last six years, and won only eight games in the last two seasons, a drastic restructuring is needed. With the picks they got from Cleveland, we will see how David Gettleman will fix this floundering mess of a franchise.

Jets off-season is turning into a colossal disaster for Mike Maccagnan

First Anthony Barr spurned the Jets on Tuesday morning, backing out of a deal that could have paid him anywhere between $14-$15 million a year, only to return to the Vikings instead.

Then former Broncos center Matt Paradis spurned Gang Green by inking a three-year, $27 million with the Carolina Panthers, after it looked like the Jets were making progress on a deal on Monday.

Now Le'Veon Bell is playing the Jets like a fiddle as he has yet to decide where he will ultimately sign, and the Jets have invoked a deadline for the former Steelers running back to make a decision.

Yup, it has been a bad 24 hours for the Jets. Think about it; when people put their heads down to sleep on Monday night, the Jets had linebackers Anthony Barr, CJ Mosley and wide receiver Jamison Crowder  "locked up" with the prospect of potentially adding Bell and Paradis.

Now the Jets are just trying to save face.

You can blame the player agents all you want, but the fact is their job is to get the best deal possible for their clients. The Jets job is to lock up the deal and make sure pen touches paper. That hasn't happened.

The Jets and Mike Maccagnan have allowed three top free agent targets to take both he and the Jets for a ride.

This is not the first time the Jets have been taken for a ride. Last year, the Jets thought they had quarterback Kirk Cousins only to later find out that Cousins was intentionally using the Jets to drive up his price with the Minnesota Vikings. Cousins' decision to go to Minnesota turned into a blessing in disguise for the Jets who turned around and selected Sam Darnold in the draft.

How can the Jets make up for this? The Jets convinced themselves that Barr would be an edge rusher, even though he had never been an edge rusher in his NFL career. As a result the better pass rushers were off the board by the time Barr made his final decision. Now the Jets HAVE to draft an edge rusher next month.

What about center and running back? There are still some names out there like former Falcons running back Tevin Coleman, but talk about the Jets looking at other options has been pretty quiet thus far.

This is a mess. The only way Maccagnan can save face is if either A) Bell actually does sign with the Jets, or B) the Jets pull their offer to Bell, move on and address the holes that exist on this roster.

Bottom line is the Jets look like a franchise that nobody wants to be associated with. Whether that has to do with Adam Gase, Maccagnan or the Jets horrible reputation, or all of the above it doesn't matter.  The Jets look bad.

Anthony Barr Backs out of Jets Deal Returns to Vikings

This is why the Jets will always be the Jets.

Last night at around 8 p.m. it was reported that Anthony Barr would leave the Vikings for the Jets for a multi-year deal. While no figures were released it was assumed he would be getting around $14 million, and would switch the outside linebacker.

Oh how cruel the world can be for the Jets.

According to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, Barr has backed out of a verbal agreement with the Jets and will return to the Vikings instead. This is a huge blow to the Jets who were hopping that Barr would be that veteran edge rusher they desperately needed.

Mike Garafolo‏Verified account @MikeGarafolo

Plot twist! LB Anthony Barr has decided to agree to terms to remain with the #Vikings, sources say. He will not be a member of the #Jets after all.

12:45 PM - 12 Mar 2019

 With so many edge rushers now off the open market the Jets are in desperate straits for a pass rusher.

One could argue that had the Jets signed Barr, they could have considered trading the number three pick to stock up on more picks. Now they almost certainly have to keep the pick and hope that either Nick Bosa or Josh Allen fall to them.

The news on Barr puts a damper on the Jets offseason plans. They did succeed in agreeing to a deal with Ravens inside linebacker CJ Mosley to a five-year $85 million deal. Unlike Barr, Mosley's numbers are a little more impressive.

He is a tackling machine, recording 100 or more tackles in four of his first five seasons in the NFL. While he isn't a big time pass rusher, he is not afraid to drop into coverage and make plays, evidence by the nine career interceptions he has. This is a good pick-up. And yes, he is going to be a Jet.

Regarding the rumors around Le'Veon Bell and Matt Paradis, it doesn't look like either will be in Green and White -- at least at the moment. Bell is supposedly "torn" on what to do, although there is a belief the Jets will increase their offer to him now that Barr backed out. Bell is being heavily courted by the Raiders and Bears.

 Paradis was supposedly talking to the Jets yesterday, but reports last night indicated that he is talking to the Broncos now.

Jets Remain Busy, Sign Viking LB Anthony Barr

The Jets are off to a flying start in free agency this year.

Hours after agreeing to terms with former Redskins wide receiver Jamison Crowder, the Jets inked two more players on Monday and have their eyes set on a few more prizes before all deals are official on Wednesday.

First Gang Green signed special teamer Josh Bellamy to a two-year deal worth $7 million to give the club some added depth at wide receiver and specials. Bellamy's numbers don't exactly jump off the page, but his familiarity with head coach Adam Gase when the two were in Chicago was an attraction here.

The bigger signing came late Monday when the Jets signed former Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr to a mega contract. While terms of the deal were not released on Monday night, it is believed to be around $14 million a year -- a figure the cash strapped Vikings were not going to meet.

While Barr has 13.5 career sacks, the Jets plan to use him on the outside in Defensive Coordinator Gregg Williams' 3-4 scheme.According to multiple sources, Barr played in a 3-4 scheme at UCLA where he recorded 23 sacks in his college career -- so a position switch is defiantly in the offing for him.

 Barr is a big dude, 6-foot-5 and has a high motor. A lot of teams wanted in on the Barr sweepstakes including the San Francisco 49ers. In 13 games last season, Barr recorded 55 tackles and three quarterback sacks.

Barr's best season came in 2017 when he recorded 75 tackles, six passes defensed and nine tackles for loss. He's a good player.

Meanwhile the rumor mill continues. Many expect the Jets to be in play for former Broncos center Matt Paradis. Some even went on the lime and suggested on Twitter that the Jets and Paradis were close to a deal, but that isn't the case -- at least not yet.

Then there is the prospect the Jets could add former Ravens linebacker CJ Mosley to team up with Barr, and possibly sign former Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell. Things are going to get interesting in the next couple of days.

NOTES: Josh McCown's days in Green and White are likely over after the soon-to-be 40-year-old said he was unsure if he wanted to keep playing and wanted more time to make a decision. Sounds like retirement is definitely on his mind. The Jets need a better option at back-up quarterback anyway. With the Dolphins expected to release Ryan Tannehill, his name is going to come up because of his connections to Gase. The Jets also bid adieu to the pass interference king himself, Buster Skrine, who signed a deal with the Bears. There will be no tears for Skrine.

Jets Sign Ex-Redskins Jamison Crowder to 3-year Deal

The Jets are wasting no time. With $92 million to play with General Manager Mike Maccagnan is busy making moves. The Jets are expected to sign former Redskins wide receiver Jamison Crowder. 

The news was first reported by NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. According to Adam Schefter the Jets will give Crowder a three-year $28.5 million deal that includes $17 million guaranteed. 

Last season, Crowder was limited to nine games due to an ankle injury. Before the injury he was a safety valve for Washington's plethora of quarterbacks. Two years ago, Crowder hauled in 104 catches for 789 yards and three touchdowns. In 2016, he caught 97 passes for 847 yards and seven scores. So obviously this is a guy, when healthy, who has good speed inside and can find the end zone. 

Crowder's addition could mean the end of Jermaine Kearse. Kearse really underwhelmed last season, recording only 76 catches for 371 yards and one score, his worst season on record since 2013. He is a free agent. 

Crowder now joins a crowded Jets receiving corps that features Quincy Enunwa, whom the Jets signed to extension in December, Robby Anderson who was tendered, and tight end Chris Herndon. 

The Jets could still lose Anderson, who is a restricted free agent, but any team who does sign him will have to give the Jets a second round pick -- something the Jets don't have right now. 

Picking up Crowder is the second official move the Jets have made since free agency began. They signed corner Darryl Roberts as well. They also acquired offensive guard Kelechi Osemele from the Raiders for a fifth round pick. Ironically both Osemele and Crowder are coming off injury-plauged years in 2018, so both will have something to prove in 2019. 

The Crowder signing comes as rumors are swirling the Jets are on the precipice of signing former Broncos center Matt Paradis.