New York Jets Smart To Cut Wide Receiver Brandon Marshall
The New York Jets are planning on releasing veteran wide receiver Brandon Marshall, which is a good move by the team.
The New York Jets continued their roster purge on Thursday. The Jets added to their extensive list of cuts, as they cut wide receiver, Brandon Marshall. Marshall will join long-time Jets, Nick Mangold, Nick Folk, Darrelle Revis on the free agent market. In addition to them, the Jets have also released Breno Giacomini, Ryan Clady, and Erin Henderson.
An argument can be made whether this was a good or bad move by the Jets to release their leading wide receiver. But, this is shaping up to be a smart move by the team.
For starters, the Jets save a lot of money by cutting Marshall. The Jets will save $7.5 million in cap space by releasing Marshall according to Kimberley A. Martin of Newsday. That is money they can better allocate across the roster.
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Marshall is also 33 years old. He showed signs of decline last season with a career-worst 46.1 percent catch rate on 128 targets. He managed only 59 receptions for 788 yards and three touchdowns. Some of the struggles can be blamed on inept quarterback play, but Marshall cannot go without some blame as well.
With the Jets in a youth movement and without a viable quarterback on the roster, the struggles probably would have continued for Marshall. That is arguably the number one reason for releasing Marshall.
According to Martin, Marshall asked for his release from the team. He wants to play for a contender, and the Jets do not fall under that category. If Marshall wants out, giving him release is the best course of action. There is no reason to hold onto a disgruntled player that does not want to be there. It could just cause problems, especially for a player that is as outspoken as Marshall is.
The talent at wide receiver drops without Marshall, but this is the way to go for the Jets. It gives more of an opportunity to players such as Quincy Enunwa, Robbie Anderson, and Charone Peake. The Jets are better off seeing what they have in those players than trying to keep a veteran such as Marshall happy with targets.
This move is best for both parties involved. Marshall can find his way to a contender, increasing his chances of winning a Super Bowl this season. The Jets not only save a lot of money, they get a chance to evaluate some of their younger players at the position.
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The Jets probably could have held out and received a late round pick in a trade for Marshall. But, his production last season, and at that price tag, would have been a hard sell. The Jets also wouldn’t have received the cap space waiting for a trade to be made closer to the NFL Draft on April 27th.