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Post by kentuckyjet on Dec 7, 2014 19:56:21 GMT -5
What Percy Harvin's ankle injury means for his future with the Jet
o updated December 07, 2014 at 7:22 PM
MINNEAPOLIS — Percy Harvin struggled to get to his feet. Once he did, he needed to grab a chair just so he could turn around. He couldn't say whether his left ankle was broken or severely sprained. He just knew he couldn't put any weight on it.
In Sunday's 30-24 overtime loss to the Vikings, Harvin finally had the kind of performance the Jets had been hoping for when they shipped a conditional draft pick to the Seahawks to get him back in October. But he left the game late in the fourth quarter with the injury and did not return, and he eventually left the locker room on crutches.
Two years ago, Harvin had to have surgery on his right ankle. Shortly after Sunday's game, there was no telling how serious the injury to his left ankle would be.
"It's disappointing," Harvin said. "Especially in the time of game it was. I wanted to be out there battling with my teammates. So, yeah, that part was very disappointing."
A wide receiver/kick returner, Harvin caught six passes for 124 yards, including his first touchdown in two years—a 35-yarder from Geno Smith in which Harvin did an outstanding job of adjusting to the ball. He also returned a kickoff 47 yards and totaled 109 yards on four returns.
Harvin had played for the Vikings from 2009 to 2012 before he was traded to the Seahawks last year. The fans here booed him every time his name was announced. He seemed to enjoy playing the heel, such as as when he stared up into the crowd and tossed the ball into the stands after his touchdown catch.
"I expected it," he said of the booing. He also said he likes to toss the ball into the stands any time he scores a touchdown. "I'm not a big rah-rah guy, but to hear the boos and then finally get that score, to stare at them was a pretty good feeling."
Jets head coach Rex Ryan said Harvin was "the difference in the game."
"He gave us a great shot with his return ability, as a receiver, everything," Ryan said. "The kind of talent he has is rare."
But as time was winding down before overtime, Harvin could be seen hobbling toward the locker room.
Harvin said he was injured while making his final catch, a 9-yard reception on an out route at midfield with just less than two minutes remaining in regulation. The Jets, down 24-21 at the time and driving toward the game-tying field goal, took a shot at the end zone three plays later, but because Harvin had to come out, Smith's pass was directed at T.J. Graham.
Harvin said he hadn't yet had an X-ray, and he wouldn't say whether he rolled the ankle, felt it snap, or if anyone had fallen on it. The Jets are now 2-11 and headed nowhere except toward a high draft pick, but Harvin's injury does have the potential to impact the team next season. Harvin's contract, which he signed with the Seahawks last year, calls for him to make $10 million next season with no guarantees. Should he be unable to play in the Jets' final three games, Harvin may no longer get to audition his skills to convince the Jets he's worth keeping at that price.
But what he showed on Sunday was exactly the sort of dynamism the Jets had been missing for most of the season. Harvin was a bona fide deep threat on the outside who had an impact that helped free up the rest of the offense. The Jets rushed for 168 yards, and Smith finished with a quarterback rating of 87.4 even though he threw a pick-six on the first play from scrimmage.
"We always knew that he could make plays downfield," running back Chris Johnson said. "He came in today and he showed that."
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Post by Touchable on Dec 7, 2014 20:05:52 GMT -5
Even if we keep Harvin on his current deal and 2015 salary, we still have over $50 million in cap space to play with.
You don't let him go and you don't restructure him. Seattle already paid him all of his guaranteed money.
Bring him back at his 2015 rate and if he's healthy and making a heavy contribution, then you restructure his deal during the following offseason and throw in some guarantees.
If he's still banged up and is a general non-factor, then you cut him after the 2015 season with no dead money on the books.
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Post by HawkeyeJet on Dec 7, 2014 20:18:25 GMT -5
Personally, I hope he is back. If I am Idzik(or the new GM), my goal is to have the most complete roster possible prior to the draft, so that the options in the draft can endless. If Harvin is back, we have a competent supporting class for the Rookie QB if that is the route. If Harvin is back, we can still go Cooper and have a offense full of weapons for a vet QB. We could even go OL if it fell that way and still be in ok shape.
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Post by Frank Reynolds on Dec 7, 2014 20:22:28 GMT -5
The guy has 1 receiving touchdown in two years. He's good, but he's always hurt. Even if he's playing, he still doesn't deserve calvin johnson money. It's only a matter of time before he wears out his welcome, so if they do restructure, it better be team friendly.
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Post by DDNYjets on Dec 7, 2014 21:07:41 GMT -5
Harvin is a MUST keep. Even if we don't redo his deal. 6 catches for 124. Who was the last Jet that could do something like that? He is also a premier kick returner. As long as their is no ligament damage he should be fine.
I don't care how much money he is making. We are paying our QBs nothing so we can overpay elsewhere.
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Post by gangrene on Dec 7, 2014 21:36:12 GMT -5
Harvin is a MUST keep. Even if we don't redo his deal. 6 catches for 124. Who was the last Jet that could do something like that? He is also a premier kick returner. As long as their is no ligament damage he should be fine. I don't care how much money he is making. We are paying our QBs nothing so we can overpay elsewhere. The vikings cornerbacks were almost as pathetic as the Jets cornerbacks. Harvin seemed wide open for his touchdown, which would not be the case for a top fifteen opponent. I like him, I like his "Laverenous Coles" type chipiness for the ball, but that money is all wrong for his production and could be spent on legitimate cornerbacks. Maybe one more year but he has to renegotiate after 2015 ... I would not be upset if they cut him this off season if he fails to renegotiate. Additionally he will need to be on board with the new coach. He needs a player-friendly coach, I can't see him buying into a Harbaugh coached Jets.
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Post by sadface on Dec 7, 2014 21:44:44 GMT -5
the thing about his money is that none of it is guaranteed. that's what makes it such a good deal, and worth keeping at his price. sure we can restructure and have him around for 7-8/year, but then there will be guarantees that could hurt us in the long run. i say keep him at the current rate. it will keep him motivated to play hard, since any game could be his last.
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Post by DowNY on Dec 7, 2014 22:51:20 GMT -5
Even if we keep Harvin on his current deal and 2015 salary, we still have over $50 million in cap space to play with. You don't let him go and you don't restructure him. Seattle already paid him all of his guaranteed money. Bring him back at his 2015 rate and if he's healthy and making a heavy contribution, then you restructure his deal during the following offseason and throw in some guarantees. If he's still banged up and is a general non-factor, then you cut him after the 2015 season with no dead money on the books. This^ I wouldn't hesitate to draft Cooper (if all QB options are gone) in this scenario either as a healthy insurance. A WR to counter the Giants' ODB as well.
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Post by vitony on Dec 7, 2014 23:22:18 GMT -5
First, I want to say that I have been a long time reader of JetsInsider.com and never posted. Found this site today after people were complaining on a thread about the new JI. Glad I found it. I have to say that Harvin must be kept. I hope they rework his deal but his playmaking ability is the best on the team. He is only person who is a threat to take it to the house at any given moment. However, I do not think that we can just sit back and rely on Harvin, Decker and Kerley. We should still be addressing the WR position through the draft and FA. We need a big red-zone target. Harvin has done enough with a lousy offensive system/QB/whoever's fault it is to show that he is a game changer. It's not his fault that we only throw 13 times in a game. He should be part of the future and whoever the QB is next year will love his ability to get downfield.
When you think about it we have some real potential on offense. Just need to get the most important position situated.
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Post by Hollywood Nosebleed on Dec 7, 2014 23:29:26 GMT -5
First, I want to say that I have been a long time reader of JetsInsider.com and never posted. Found this site today after people were complaining on a thread about the new JI. Glad I found it. I have to say that Harvin must be kept. I hope they rework his deal but his playmaking ability is the best on the team. He is only person who is a threat to take it to the house at any given moment. However, I do not think that we can just sit back and rely on Harvin, Decker and Kerley. We should still be addressing the WR position through the draft and FA. We need a big red-zone target. Harvin has done enough with a lousy offensive system/QB/whoever's fault it is to show that he is a game changer. It's not his fault that we only throw 13 times in a game. He should be part of the future and whoever the QB is next year will love his ability to get downfield. When you think about it we have some real potential on offense. Just need to get the most important position situated. Glad to see you followed us over here and decided to post, but as untouchable said there is no reason to renegotiate Harvin's contract right now. He's good, but not worth 10 million a year. However, we don't need extra capspace. We already have 50mil without renegotiating his contract. He's injury prone and a bit of a hot head, we might as well let him play out his contract until he proves otherwise. As of right now he has no guaranteed money and can be cut whenever.
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Post by vitony on Dec 7, 2014 23:35:53 GMT -5
First, I want to say that I have been a long time reader of JetsInsider.com and never posted. Found this site today after people were complaining on a thread about the new JI. Glad I found it. I have to say that Harvin must be kept. I hope they rework his deal but his playmaking ability is the best on the team. He is only person who is a threat to take it to the house at any given moment. However, I do not think that we can just sit back and rely on Harvin, Decker and Kerley. We should still be addressing the WR position through the draft and FA. We need a big red-zone target. Harvin has done enough with a lousy offensive system/QB/whoever's fault it is to show that he is a game changer. It's not his fault that we only throw 13 times in a game. He should be part of the future and whoever the QB is next year will love his ability to get downfield. When you think about it we have some real potential on offense. Just need to get the most important position situated. Glad to see you followed us over here and decided to post, but as untouchable said there is no reason to renegotiate Harvin's contract right now. He's good, but not worth 10 million a year. However, we don't need extra capspace. We already have 50mil without renegotiating his contract. He's injury prone and a bit of a hot head, we might as well let him play out his contract until he proves otherwise. As of right now he has no guaranteed money and can be cut whenever. I have been reading the site probably for about 13 years, since I was in high school. I think I screwed something up when I first tried to register over there and I could never figure it out. I also was a broke high schooler, broke college kid, broke law school kid and honestly did not want to pay to post. I've been a die hard fan since I was born, family had season tickets when we lived up in Jersey but gave them up after moving to NC. I agree there is no reason to restructure, but depending on what he is looking for may be smart to do. I like having the no guaranteed money but if we decide we want to keep him for the next 2 years, restructuring some of the money owed to guarantee money would incentivize Harvin to restructure, allow us to allocate the guarantee while we have money and then still give us the benefit of cutting him for nothing down the line.
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Post by Hollywood Nosebleed on Dec 7, 2014 23:40:18 GMT -5
Glad to see you followed us over here and decided to post, but as untouchable said there is no reason to renegotiate Harvin's contract right now. He's good, but not worth 10 million a year. However, we don't need extra capspace. We already have 50mil without renegotiating his contract. He's injury prone and a bit of a hot head, we might as well let him play out his contract until he proves otherwise. As of right now he has no guaranteed money and can be cut whenever. I have been reading the site probably for about 13 years, since I was in high school. I think I screwed something up when I first tried to register over there and I could never figure it out. I also was a broke high schooler, broke college kid, broke law school kid and honestly did not want to pay to post. I've been a die hard fan since I was born, family had season tickets when we lived up in Jersey but gave them up after moving to NC. I agree there is no reason to restructure, but depending on what he is looking for may be smart to do. I like having the no guaranteed money but if we decide we want to keep him for the next 2 years, restructuring some of the money owed to guarantee money would incentivize Harvin to restructure, allow us to allocate the guarantee while we have money and then still give us the benefit of cutting him for nothing down the line. It all depends on what he wants. He doesn't take me as the type of player that will take a fair contract for under preforming. But I agree with you. If the price is right I'd love to resign him. He has talent and is worth the risk if he stays healthy. Unfortunately he's injured again.
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Post by patman on Dec 8, 2014 10:46:34 GMT -5
The thing with Harvin is that you can not count on him being there Sunday. If he is on the field, he may be overpaid at 10 mill but he is effective and a weapon. The downside is the money and the team may forgo a #1 wr due to his presence on the roster, then he gets dinged up again and the jets are back to being subpar at wr while having 25 mill tied up in the position.
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Post by BEAC0NJET on Dec 8, 2014 10:52:49 GMT -5
Even if we keep Harvin on his current deal and 2015 salary, we still have over $50 million in cap space to play with. You don't let him go and you don't restructure him. Seattle already paid him all of his guaranteed money. Bring him back at his 2015 rate and if he's healthy and making a heavy contribution, then you restructure his deal during the following offseason and throw in some guarantees. If he's still banged up and is a general non-factor, then you cut him after the 2015 season with no dead money on the books. +1. Low risk, high reward. If hes a bust, cut him after 2015 with virtually no impact.
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Post by BEAC0NJET on Dec 8, 2014 10:55:17 GMT -5
The downside is the money and the team may forgo a #1 wr due to his presence on the roster, then he gets dinged up again and the jets are back to being subpar at wr while having 25 mill tied up in the position. I dont know about that - the money is really only an issue next year. They could still use a high draft pick on a WR, or bring one in with the 50 MM in cap space, and cut Harvin after 2015. Unless his ankle is wrecked, I think its a reasonable gamble for one more year.
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