Post by Deleted on Jan 9, 2015 9:28:02 GMT -5
Among their many upcoming offseason decisions -- that whole head coach and general manager search thing chief among them -- the Jets must decide whether to pick up the fifth-year option on Quinton Coples' rookie contract.
Coples was the 16th overall pick in 2012. He was drafted as a defensive end, but has played mostly rush outside linebacker the past two seasons, in Rex Ryan's 3-4 defense.
Coples' role in the new head coach's defense remains unclear, because we don't know yet whether the Jets will play a 3-4 or a 4-3. For what it's worth, Coples admires Seattle defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, who uses a 4-3. Quinn appears to be one of the Jets' top candidates to replace Ryan.
But is Coples part of the Jets' long-term plans?
The new GM will have to decide that. Coples' first three seasons were not spectacular. If the Jets don't pick up his fifth-year option for the 2016 season, Coples would become an unrestricted free agent after this year. If the Jets want to exercise his fifth-year option, they must do so before May 3.
Coples hopes they do it.
"Obviously, yeah, I would hope," he said. "But it's a business. I understand. I'm well prepared for both sides. ... I think throughout the years, they'll see what I've done, and all that situation will be handled. I'm looking forward to it, and to meeting the GM as well. Right now, it's just sit back and wait."
Coples spoke Thursday morning after an appearance at Newark's Malcolm X Shabazz High School, during which Coples honored students who achieved academic success, or made significant improvement. It was part of the Quinton Coples Foundation's Student of the Month program.
It is no sure thing that the Jets will pick up Coples' fifth-year option. They did it last year with 2011 first-round pick Muhammad Wilkerson, a star defensive end, because it made financial sense. It was an obvious decision for the Jets.
They will pay Wilkerson $6.969 million next season -- far below market value for a player of his caliber. The Jets want to sign Wilkerson to a long-term deal.
The same might not be true of Coples, who struggled in 2013 while moving from defensive line to outside linebacker. Coples has 16½ career sacks, including a career-best 6½ in 2014.
Among 3-4 outside linebackers, Pro Football Focus rated him 40th out of 46 players for the 2014 season. He was 27th as a pass rusher and 42nd against the run. Last season, PFF rated Coples 31st overall, out of 42 outside linebackers who played in a 3-4 defense. He was 38th as a pass rusher and 18th against the run.
It might not make financial sense for the Jets to exercise Coples' fifth-year option for 2016, if he is unlikely to command a high enough dollar figure on the open market. In this case, the Jets, or anybody else, could probably sign him for less than the fifth-year option price.
But the Jets would be running the risk of letting Coples become a free agent after 2015. If he goes out and has a monster 2015 season, after the Jets declined to exercise his fifth-year option for 2016, then they could be kicking themselves entering next offseason.
So how does the fifth-year option price work?
As part of the 2011 collective bargaining agreement, all rookie contracts are four-year deals. For first-round picks, their teams get the option of tacking a fifth year onto the deal.
Players drafted in the top 10 get the NFL's transition tag figure -- the average salary of the top 10 earning players at the position. For the rest of the first-round picks, the fifth-year option's dollar figure is the average of the 25 highest-paid players at their position, excluding the top three earners.
For Wilkerson, who was picked 30th in 2011, that figure turned out to be $6.969 million for the 2015 season. Coples' fifth-year option figure will be at least that, and likely more. In 2015, Coples will count $2.8 million toward the Jets' salary cap -- a modest figure.
The Jets have some time to make a decision on Coples' fifth-year option. At this point, with three years of uneven performances under his belt, Coples can only wait to see what they do.
"That's for them to decide," Coples said. "I could sit here and say yes, or I could sit here and say no. But at the end of the day, it's up to them to decide. I look forward to the decision and seeing what they say."
by Darryl Slater
Coples was the 16th overall pick in 2012. He was drafted as a defensive end, but has played mostly rush outside linebacker the past two seasons, in Rex Ryan's 3-4 defense.
Coples' role in the new head coach's defense remains unclear, because we don't know yet whether the Jets will play a 3-4 or a 4-3. For what it's worth, Coples admires Seattle defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, who uses a 4-3. Quinn appears to be one of the Jets' top candidates to replace Ryan.
But is Coples part of the Jets' long-term plans?
The new GM will have to decide that. Coples' first three seasons were not spectacular. If the Jets don't pick up his fifth-year option for the 2016 season, Coples would become an unrestricted free agent after this year. If the Jets want to exercise his fifth-year option, they must do so before May 3.
Coples hopes they do it.
"Obviously, yeah, I would hope," he said. "But it's a business. I understand. I'm well prepared for both sides. ... I think throughout the years, they'll see what I've done, and all that situation will be handled. I'm looking forward to it, and to meeting the GM as well. Right now, it's just sit back and wait."
Coples spoke Thursday morning after an appearance at Newark's Malcolm X Shabazz High School, during which Coples honored students who achieved academic success, or made significant improvement. It was part of the Quinton Coples Foundation's Student of the Month program.
It is no sure thing that the Jets will pick up Coples' fifth-year option. They did it last year with 2011 first-round pick Muhammad Wilkerson, a star defensive end, because it made financial sense. It was an obvious decision for the Jets.
They will pay Wilkerson $6.969 million next season -- far below market value for a player of his caliber. The Jets want to sign Wilkerson to a long-term deal.
The same might not be true of Coples, who struggled in 2013 while moving from defensive line to outside linebacker. Coples has 16½ career sacks, including a career-best 6½ in 2014.
Among 3-4 outside linebackers, Pro Football Focus rated him 40th out of 46 players for the 2014 season. He was 27th as a pass rusher and 42nd against the run. Last season, PFF rated Coples 31st overall, out of 42 outside linebackers who played in a 3-4 defense. He was 38th as a pass rusher and 18th against the run.
It might not make financial sense for the Jets to exercise Coples' fifth-year option for 2016, if he is unlikely to command a high enough dollar figure on the open market. In this case, the Jets, or anybody else, could probably sign him for less than the fifth-year option price.
But the Jets would be running the risk of letting Coples become a free agent after 2015. If he goes out and has a monster 2015 season, after the Jets declined to exercise his fifth-year option for 2016, then they could be kicking themselves entering next offseason.
So how does the fifth-year option price work?
As part of the 2011 collective bargaining agreement, all rookie contracts are four-year deals. For first-round picks, their teams get the option of tacking a fifth year onto the deal.
Players drafted in the top 10 get the NFL's transition tag figure -- the average salary of the top 10 earning players at the position. For the rest of the first-round picks, the fifth-year option's dollar figure is the average of the 25 highest-paid players at their position, excluding the top three earners.
For Wilkerson, who was picked 30th in 2011, that figure turned out to be $6.969 million for the 2015 season. Coples' fifth-year option figure will be at least that, and likely more. In 2015, Coples will count $2.8 million toward the Jets' salary cap -- a modest figure.
The Jets have some time to make a decision on Coples' fifth-year option. At this point, with three years of uneven performances under his belt, Coples can only wait to see what they do.
"That's for them to decide," Coples said. "I could sit here and say yes, or I could sit here and say no. But at the end of the day, it's up to them to decide. I look forward to the decision and seeing what they say."
by Darryl Slater