Jets football blog

Jets want to keep Edwards and Holmes

There has been plenty of speculation about the future of Jets receivers Braylon Edwards and Santonio Holmes, both of whom are unsigned beyond this season. Although many people around the league believe the Jets will choose to keep one, but not the other, general manager Mike Tannenbaum told Newsday that the team hopes to keep them both.

"We think they complement one another, and we want a team that's hard to defend relative to being able to run it and throw it, be an all-weather offense,'' Tannenbaum said. "Between trading for Braylon [last year] and getting Holmes for 12 games this year, they haven't played a lot of games together, so every game they play is exciting to see. We think every game they play together, it's another step for them to grow as a unit.'' (Newsday)

Rex and Tannenbaum extended to 2014

Well, well, look what we have here.

While several key Jets players are toiling in frustration over contractual issues, the Jets announced yesterday that they have extended the contracts of coach Rex Ryan and general manager Mike Tannenbaum, keeping them together with the Jets through 2014.

Ryan, who had three years remaining on his original four-year, $11.5 million deal, had two years added to it.

Tannenbaum signed his new five-year deal in June, but the team didn't announce it until yesterday.

"Our franchise is heading in the right direction and I believe that continuity is important," Jets owner Woody Johnson said in a statement. "Mike and Rex have demonstrated the passion, commitment, and expertise to get us to our ultimate goal -- winning a Super Bowl." (NY Post)

Jets not done making moves

The chances of the Jets standing pat after their meteoric rise to last week’s AFC Championship game are about as realistic as coach Rex Ryan canceling all of his 2010 press conferences.

“We are going to be invigorated by what happened,” general manager Mike Tannenbaum said. “But we also realize that come six, seven weeks from now, we’ve got to be humming and we need to have the best offseason of anybody in our division.” Continue

Tannenbaum admits Favre injury cover up

New coaching regime, new starting quarterback, new look, but the Jets are still haunted by the ghost of old Brett Favre.

In the aftermath of the future Hall of Famer's admission that he played the final few games last season with a torn biceps tendon in his right arm, the Jets are facing disciplinary action from the NFL -- likely a hefty fine -- for not having listed Favre on the team's injury reporGeneral manager Mike Tannenbaum yesterday stepped forward and accepted blame for the cover up, saying Favre should have been listed as "probable" in the season's final 4-5 weeks as the Jets were trying to secure an AFC playoff berth. Continue

Tannenbaum: I expect Pennington to return

Most teams try to avoid a quarterback controversy. The Jets seem to be relishing one. General manager Mike Tannenbaum said yesterday that he expects Chad Pennington to be with the team next season, even though the eight-year veteran was benched midway through the 2007 season in favor of second-year pro Kellen Clemens. That would set up a may-the-best-man-win competition - the second such situation for Jets quarterbacks in three years - when the team takes the field for training camp in July.

"We'll listen to anything," Tannenbaum said, referring to potential trade offers from quarterback-hungry teams, "but I expect Chad to be back." Continue

GM Tannenbaum finds positives in 1-7 Jets

The Jets may be 1-7, but that's only one-seventh of what's going on. So said general manager Mike Tannenbaum earlier this week, assessing his team's progress halfway through what so far has been a forgettable season. "It's a performance-based business and obviously we're not happy sitting here at 1-7," Tannenbaum said. "But there have been some positives. We haven't seen them on the scoreboard on Sundays, but there are some things going on Monday through Saturday that I'm encouraged by. I'm happy where the program is."

Where it is right now is an apparent crossroads. Kellen Clemens will start at quarterback Sunday, rookies such as Darrelle Revis and David Harris are starting, and when asked to name some of the positives he is seeing, Tannenbaum pointed to the progress of Abram Elam, Brad Smith, Leon Washington and Jacob Bender. None of the players in this paragraph was with the Jets before Tannenbaum and Eric Mangini took over after the 2005 season. Continue

Jets' GM Mike Tannenbaum not about to panic over 1-5 start

The general manager of your 1-5 Jets didn't look particularly stressed, chilling out on a leather couch late Monday in the quiet of an office at Weeb Ewbank Hall. Down the hall, in the locker room, players were grumbling. Outside the building, the fan base was screaming for the coach to bench Chad Pennington.

But Mike Tannenbaum appeared unfazed by the tumult. "Obviously, we're all disappointed with the record, but we know the league is so competitive," said Tannenbaum, reciting a statistic that will either drive fans crazy or give them hope. (Guessing here it's the former.) Continue

Money squabbles buck Jets' trend

In 10 years as the Jets' chief negotiator, Mike Tannenbaum has built a reputation for signing draft picks on time and keeping acrimony to a minimum. That's why it's so surprising that first-round pick Darrelle Revis still isn't signed and Pete Kendall is making a stink about his contract. Pick a side: Is Tannenbaum hurting the team by being unreasonably stubborn or is he protecting the long-term interests of the organization by taking a hard-line stance?

The Revis dispute (eight days and counting) is perplexing because all but one of the 13 players selected ahead of him have signed, the exception being top pick JaMarcus Russell of the Raiders. The Jets traded up to select Revis, surrendering a first- and second-round pick for the gifted cornerback out of Pitt, so it will start to look embarrassing if they can't get him into camp. Continue

Jets' Tannenbaum wheels and deals

Call Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum "Trader Mike." Tannenbaum, who executed the offseason trade for running back Thomas Jones, was at it again yesterday, not only moving up in the first round, but moving up in the second round. After moving up to get Pittsburgh cornerback Darrelle Revis in the first round, they moved up in the second round to pick Michigan middle linebacker David Harris, a 6-foot-21/4, 243-pounder who could be a good fit in their 3-4 defense.

The Jets gave Green Bay their 63rd overall pick in the second round, their 89th overall pick in the third round, and their 191st overall pick in the sixth round. They got, along with the 47th overall, Green Bay's 235th overall pick in the seventh round. That leaves the Jets with a sixth- and seventh-round pick in today's conclusion of the draft. Continue

Comfort zone

Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum, sounding rather confident about the position his team is in entering the NFL Draft, insists it does not have any glaring needs as it approaches Saturday's first three rounds. "I feel pretty comfortable where the roster is right now, having 21 of 22 starters back," Tannenbaum said. "We want to have as much flexibility as possible to take advantage of opportunities in the draft, maybe trade up, trade back, see what opportunities present themselves. Continue