INDIANAPOLIS — Jets general manager John Idzik is not known for his joke telling, but he delivered a pretty good line at the NFL Scouting Combine on Thursday.
Idzik was asked about last year’s combine, when he faced a barrage of questions about the future of cornerback Darrelle Revis.
“Who?” Idzik deadpanned.
A lot has changed in that year. Revis is a Buccaneer and Idzik is entering his second offseason in charge of the Jets.
“It’s obviously much easier as a staff this year,” Idzik said. “I was barely a month into the job, and a … a lot of bullets were flying then. We had a lot of things happening, much less people getting used to me. … So I think a year later, we’re much more ahead of the game, just because of familiarity with each other and what we want to accomplish.”
Quarterback Mark Sanchez is not the only Jets player who could be a salary-cap casualty in the coming weeks. Wide receiver Santonio Holmes and cornerback Antonio Cromartie also could be cut to save money. Cromartie is an interesting case. He had a down year in 2013, but still may be better than any other options for the Jets.
“When you look at him it’s hard to find corners with his kind of size, speed, length and playmaking ability,” coach Rex Ryan said. “We’re a team that likes to play a lot of man coverage and he has man cover skills.”
Idzik sounds like he will take his time before cutting anyone.
“Suffice it to say that we take those decisions very seriously,” Idzik said. “Players that meant a lot to us — be it one season, two seasons, three seasons, whatever it is — they meant a lot to the Jets, and we take those decisions seriously. We’ll pour everything into it. With that said, we like to wait and really have all the information that we feel is necessary in order to make a sound decision, and so we’ll take advantage of time.”
DE Muhammad Wilkerson is hoping to get a contract extension, but the Jets can hold onto him cheaply by exercising the 2015 option on his contract that would result in him making about $7 million over the next two seasons. Idzik would not discuss his plan for Wilkerson, who has become the best player on the team.
“We won’t engage in any talk about contract matters or anything like that,” Idzik said. “I’d say in general, one, Mo’s a Jet. He personifies what we’re about both on the field and the way he handles himself, the way he prepares. We’re just extremely happy to have him as a member of our team, but we won’t get into any speculation or plans that way with respect to contracts.”
Ryan said he hopes that the team can re-sign outside linebacker Calvin Pace, a pending free agent. The 33-year-old had a surprising 10 sacks last season.
“He’s still a Jet until somebody tells me otherwise,” Ryan said. “I can actually comment on him. We’d love to have Calvin back.”
Could linebacker Michael Sam, who recently revealed he is gay, be a fit with the Jets?
“I think he’d be welcomed,” Ryan said. “It would be no different than any other player we have. One thing I know for sure is, you’re going to have 53 different players. They’re all different — different religious beliefs, I’ve talked about it many times, different what they look like, height, weight, married, single, any of these. Everybody’s different. The main thing we always talk about is respect in our locker room, and even though everybody’s different, you know, it’s a respect thing. If a young man is a good football player and a good teammate, that’s all we ask. He’d fit in just like the rest of our guys.”
WR Stephen Hill has been a disappointment in his first two seasons, but Ryan said the team still believes in him. Hill has ended the last two seasons on injured reserve with knee problems.
“He’s a guy we’re excited about,” Ryan said. “I know he’s rehabbing, doing a tremendous job. He wants it in the worst way to get back and to finally showcase what he can really be when he’s healthy and start to really come into his own. Hopefully, he has a big year for us.”
Ryan said safety Ed Reed’s three interceptions in the Jets’ final five games showed Reed still has something left in the tank. Reed is slated to become a free agent on March 11.
“I think Ed did a tremendous job for us,” Ryan said. “The fact that he had three interceptions in the last five games I think we all know Ed can still play.”