New York Jets: Spurned by Anthony Barr and Matt Paradis, plus the Le’Veon Bell latest

It was not a good day for the New York Jets. Anthony  Barr decided against coming to New York and Matt  Paradis went elsewhere. Plus we talk Le’Veon   Bell.

Much of that excitement that was surrounding the New York Jets on day one has been drained a bit on day two. A heck of a lot of it.

The first hammer dropped when the Anthony Barr news came out. It seemed very familiar. Remember when Bill Belichick resigned as the “HC of the NYJ”? Barr basically did the same thing.

This morning, we learned that Barr was returning to the Vikings instead of coming to the Jets. He will earn $67.5 million which could go up to $77.5 million with incentives. $33 million is guaranteed.

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Like it or not, nothing is official until Wednesday and they sign on the dotted line. Barr can do what he likes until then, and clearly he did.

According to a report from Adam Schefter (via SNY), Barr got physically ill after deciding to sign with the Jets and went back to Minnesota to have them up their offer.

Whether that is true or whether he was playing the Jets we will never know. We do know he leaves a void they thought they filled.

How they move forward for an edge rusher likely will be dictated by how the Le’Veon Bell situation rounds out. More on that later.

Now on to Matt Paradis. The end game was a surprising turn of events, as Paradis signs a three-year deal with the Panthers worth $27 million.

This was a surprise and a big setback for the Jets. The goal was to come out with a center from free agency. The two big names were Mitch Morse and Paradis. Morse signed with the Bills and that was supposed to open the door for the Jets to land Paradis.

As we waited to hear that the Jets signed him we see this:

So clearly it seemed like something was up. Then we hear that out of nowhere he goes to the Panthers. Then there were reports that the Jets pulled out of the sweepstakes for Paradis.

The question is why? They obviously still need a starting center. Jonotthan Harrison doesn’t cut it. The Jets need to find someone. Is it in the draft? A trade we don’t see coming? How the Jets move from this free agent miss is going to be key.

Now for the Le’Veon Bell saga.

As of the writing of this post, Le’Veon Bell is without a team. Reports indicate that the Jets and Ravens are the final two teams in the running for Bell’s services.

According to Ian Rapoport, the money the Jets saved by losing Barr has given them the opportunity to make a final, strong offer for Bell.

However, maybe the Ravens aren’t part of it. Mike Florio put out a report that the Ravens and Bell are not talking. Could this have been a rumor Bell is using to drive the Jets price up?

To counteract, the Jets are calling his bluff. According to Connor Hughes of the Athletic, the Jets have given Bell a deadline to accept the offer of they are moving on. A source is telling SNY that the timeframe is the end of Tuesday night.

Giving a deadline is not a bad idea. The Jets have been played before, and they can’t let a player keep driving the price up. He can’t hold the team’s plans hostage either. He needs to make the call or move on.

I want Bell as much as the next guy, but I don’t want to wait forever. Time for Mike Maccagnan to close.