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Hat-tip to the agent for . . .
landing the contract, but it’s a bad deal for the Jets.
Talking about the contract the Jets gave Trumaine Johnson in March of 2018.
He signed a 5-year, $72.5 million with $45 million guaranteed. The numbers take your breath away. To pay a good, but not elite cornerback that kind of money is largesse that’s hard to comprehend.
What where Mike Maccagnan and Brian Heimerdinger thinking?
Former NFL GM Michael Lombardi said on his podcast Heimeringer was “making all the decisions.”
“Heimerdinger for whatever reason he moved up the NFL as fast as any human being could possibly, with no experience, and he’s making all the decisions,” Lombardi said.
Heimerdinger came to the Jets at just 28 in 2015, and shot up the ladder in the Jets’ football operation like a meteor.
And according to Lombardi he was “making all the decisions.”
Giving cornerbacks with pedestrian speed that kind of money is risky business. Last time cornerbacks have to run with a lot of wide receivers with world class speed.
I’ve watched Johnson closely in many practices over the last year and obviously in games, and he runs like a safety. That isn’t meant to be flippant, just the reality of the situation.
When a cornerback runs 4.61 coming out of college, which isn’t great for the position, do you think he’s any faster now after seven years in the league and at 29? Probably not – seven NFL seasons is a lot of wear-and-tear and leg injuries along the way (like his pulled calf last year).
I mentioned recently that I asked Bill Polian at a combine, when he was still GM of the Indianapolis Colts, what his cut-off time for drafting corners and he said “4.55.” And remember, the Colts played mostly zone coverage when Polian was there. Zone corners don’t need to be fast as man-to-man corners.
And fast forward to 2019 with the Jets’ defense being run by Gregg Williams who likes to blitz a lot and leave cornerbacks on an island.
Johnson’s speed issues were apparent right out of the gate for the Jets last year when he had issues covering Detroit Lions wide receiver Kenny Golladay in the opener. He got beat by Golladay for gains of 25 and 26 on crossing routes.
When the Jets played at Cleveland, Antonio Callaway soundly beat Johnson deep and it should have gone for a long TD, but Tyrod Taylor under-threw him.
Donte Moncrief beat him for a 67-yard TD at Jacksonville.
Look, he’s not a bad player. He’s got press skills, solid instincts and solid ball skills. With the pass rush getting quick pressure, he’s very good.
But it’s hard for him to hold up on an island against speed receivers without a good pass rush because he doesn’t have great speed.
The money he’s getting is something Deion Sanders or Champ Bailey would get it they were still playing. He’s not on that level.
As Ian Rapaport announced in May, Adam Gase wasn’t thrilled with the money the Jets gave Le’Veon Bell and C.J. Mosley.
Can you imagine what he thinks of the Johnson contract?
Hat-tip to agent Joel Segal for negotiating an amazing deal for his client.
What a contract!
June 24, 2019
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