bubba9497 Posted March 4, 2004 Share Posted March 4, 2004 Jets: Put the press on Winfield http://www.nj.com/sports/ledger/index.ssf?/base/sports-1/10783843126190.xml The Jets opened free agency yesterday by rolling out the red carpet for Buffalo Bills cornerback Antoine Winfield, wining and dining him well into the night with the hope of making him their prize free-agent signee this off-season. After being shown around the Jets' facility at Hofstra University and meeting coaches for much of the day, Winfield and his agent, Richard Katz, were driven by limo to New York City for a night on the town. There were serious contract negotiations throughout the evening, with the Jets putting on the hard sell, trying to prevent Winfield from taking an early morning flight to visit the Minnesota Vikings. According to someone with knowledge of the discussions, the Jets have offered Winfield a five- to six-year deal averaging $5 million to $6 million per season with a signing bonus nearing double digits. The Jets could announce a deal as early as today. Winfield, 26, is entering his sixth NFL season and is regarded as the top cornerback on the free-agent market. He's a superior cover corner and an excellent tackler despite his diminutive size (5-9, 180 pounds). He's the type of player who can blanket one side of the field. "(Jets general manager Terry) Bradway wants to hit a home run," said one NFL official, citing Bradway's poor off-season last year, when he lost four key players to the Washington Redskins. New Jets defensive coordinator Donnie Henderson wants to play a gambling, blitz-happy scheme that relies on man-to-man coverage and Winfield is the perfect fit. Winfield, a first-round pick in 1999, has played his entire career with the Bills and last season became the first cornerback in club history to lead the team in tackles. Opponents rarely threw to his side with success. If the Jets don't land Winfield, their fallback option is 49ers cornerback Ahmed Plummer, a four-year pro with excellent cover skills and a strong upside. Yesterday, the Jets inquired about Plummer and the Seahawks' Shawn Springs, who signed with the Redskins. The Jets are also interested in signing a veteran wide receiver and have contacted the agent for Seahawks wide receiver Darrell Jackson, whom they pursued last off-season as a restricted free agent. Jackson visited the Lions yesterday and two other teams have expressed serious interest in him. "Right now, we're just gauging the market," Jackson's agent, Brian Mooney, said last night. Although the draft is deep at the receiver position, the Jets want to sign a veteran such as Jackson, the 49ers' Tai Streets or the Ravens' Marcus Robinson. The Jets are also looking for help at safety, linebacker and guard via free agency and/or the draft. Notes: The Jets yesterday released veteran MLB Marvin Jones, the fourth overall pick in the 1993 draft who spent his entire 11-year career with the club. He ranks third in club history with 1,200 career tackles. ... WR Curtis Conway is due a $695,000 roster bonus on March 10 but the Jets hope to sign a veteran wide receiver by then. If so, Conway will be released. If not, the team will keep him for insurance. ... CB Donnie Abraham reworked his contract, reducing his cap number from $3.6 million to $1.8 million in 2004 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skinsplayboy Posted March 4, 2004 Share Posted March 4, 2004 Wining and dining him damn something there use to doing very well (wining) Isnt that funny. Only if they did it the Snder way they might just get there man pay the man and stop kissing his :moon: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Posted March 4, 2004 Share Posted March 4, 2004 They're already pissed about us signing Springs. If the FO let Winfield pass by again, Bradway'd be crushed. :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TC4 Posted March 4, 2004 Share Posted March 4, 2004 Originally posted by Duke They're already pissed about us signing Springs. If the FO let Winfield pass by again, Bradway'd be crushed. :laugh: Or burned at the stake by angry Jets fans Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truant Posted March 4, 2004 Share Posted March 4, 2004 That's a fairly modest contract i think. A SB nearing double digits? We gave 10 to Springs... 5 to 6 a year isn't too bad for the highest rated (true) FA CB. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingchris626 Posted March 4, 2004 Share Posted March 4, 2004 Have we spoke to winfield yet? are we still going to if we haven't already? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingchris626 Posted March 4, 2004 Share Posted March 4, 2004 Have we spoke to winfield yet? are we still going to if we haven't already? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingchris626 Posted March 4, 2004 Share Posted March 4, 2004 ok I don't know how that happened..sorry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkinsNorth Posted March 4, 2004 Share Posted March 4, 2004 I would have preferred Winfield to Springs, so Winfield would not be a bad consolation prize for the Jets, he also fits their defense well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kappaluvacee Posted March 4, 2004 Share Posted March 4, 2004 Springgs is our man, Winfield won't get a look from us. We are looking at D-Line now...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdsknbill Posted March 4, 2004 Share Posted March 4, 2004 Springs is our injured man. I was disappointed that the Skins didn't even take a shot at Winfield. I hope that this doesn't come back to bite us in the arse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdsknbill Posted March 4, 2004 Share Posted March 4, 2004 I've been clicking the Google ads and I love this shirt. Problem is that these morons don't carry the Skins version :mad: http://www.nfltackles.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Art Posted March 4, 2004 Share Posted March 4, 2004 The Jets are cheap. You have to go at least $10 to $12 million for Winfield. Hell, if it's possible to get him at $10 million I might just make a run at him too. I am guessing Jets fans hope we aren't reading the New Jersey papers this morning because if we think the Jets want a guy, he's almost certainly going to be ours . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonnyJ Posted March 4, 2004 Share Posted March 4, 2004 I would have to believe that, if Winfield were available for the same price as Springs, and Williams (his coach for the last 3 years) wanted him, the Skins would have pursued him with more vigor. I imagine other things are at work here - either his price is considerably higher; Williams didn't want him; Winfield didn't want to play for Williams; Winfield wants to play in NY; or the Redskins, with smallish CBs already in Bauman and Smoot, wanted a bigger CB. As has been proven time and again, there is nothing that the Jets want that the Redskins can't take away from them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reaganaut Posted March 4, 2004 Share Posted March 4, 2004 The baseline signing bonus starts at $18 mil. Thank Shanahan for that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flowtrain Posted March 5, 2004 Share Posted March 5, 2004 Retractions are now being accepted. Step right up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.