New York Jets: Why Was Brandon Marshall Traded by Chicago Bears
By Nick Ziegler
The New York Jets got a great wide receiver last season from the Chicago Bears. However, what was the reason for the Bears wanting to trade Brandon Marshall?
The acquisition of Brandon Marshall for the New York Jets last season was a game-changer. Marshall instantly gave the Jets a No.1 wide receiver and pairing him with Eric Decker resulted in both having great years. The Jets barely had to give up anything for Marshall, so why were the Bears so insistent on trading him?
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In a recent interview with Albert Breer, Marshall explained why he believes he was traded by the Bears. According to Marshall, it had a lot to do with his desire to be on television as an analyst on his off days.
“When I sat down with [GM] Ryan Pace and coach John Fox, we met, and I asked, ‘What do you guys think about this?’ It was a big topic,” Marshall said to Breer. “And Ryan Pace said, ‘Well, we can do that in the offseason.’ So I was like, ‘Well, what about half the season?’ ‘No.’ ‘What about once or twice?’ ‘No.’ ‘What about bye week?’ ‘No, you can do that in the offseason.’
“Right then, I knew I wouldn’t be a Bear anymore, because I think that the business of the NFL is growing every single day, and players are being told to stay in a box and just play football, and we’re missing out on a lot of opportunities, not only to grow as men and businessmen but to experience different things.”
The decision for Marshall to pursue a career in television has been a very wise decision. Marshall has been excellent on Showtime’s Inside the NFL, and he has a bright future as either an analyst or as a color commentator in the future.
“You look at how unhealthy guys are when we walk away from the league or the game is taken away from us, 80 percent of us go broke, have problems, marital issues because we’ve been defined by this sport for all of our lives,” Marshall continued. “So for me? You’ll never have this opportunity again to have a seat at any table in the world. And while we’re here, while we’re relevant, we should absolutely tap into it.
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Many NFL players struggle with life after football. For Marshall, he already has his second career planned out. The Jets certainly don’t mind Marshall doing a television show on his off day because he produces for them on Sunday’s.