Ahmad Bradshaw is not eager to leave the area he has called his NFL home and he sees the Jets “right across the street.’’ Is it possible for the former Giants running back to stay put and trade blue for green?
Why not?
“The New York Jets are a team that I’m excited to hear about, just to stay home, not make a big move from New York,’’ Bradshaw said Tuesday on NFL Network’s “NFL AM’’ program. “It’s just right across the street from where I am now.’’
Right across the street is all well and good, but do the Jets want Bradshaw?
After all, Bradshaw is in a walking boot after another surgical procedure on his right foot, but the Jets need another running back because Shonn Greene is a free agent, leaving Bilal Powell as the only experienced NFL back. Powell is more of a No. 2 back, though, and it remains to be seen if Bradshaw is still a legitimate No. 1 back.
Also, the Jets don’t have a lot of money to pay out and any deal for Bradshaw likely would have to be modest and a low-risk contract filled with playing-time incentives to protect against further injury. But it might not take much cash to land Bradshaw, who didn’t attract much interest two years ago when he hit the open market.
The Jets are not ruling out Bradshaw, but a source said the running back would have to come cheap for the team to seriously consider him.
Bradshaw did not burn any bridges with the Giants, always keeping the door open for a possible return. Though that is unlikely — the Giants want to get younger and have 2012 first-round pick David Wilson raring to go — it is not out of the question.
“In playing with the Giants, they had mentioned that there was a chance for me to come back. I’m always up for that,” Bradshaw said. “Whatever, whoever needs me, whoever can use me. Whoever I feel that I can get a better chance of playing and helping which team.’’
Bradshaw called Wilson “a great talent’’ and can foresee him becoming an impact player.
“[He’s] just lightning fast, man,’’ Bradshaw said. “If he can just stay focused, he’ll be a good asset to the Giants in what he brings to the game.’’
Bradshaw said he wants to sell himself as an all-around running back who not only can run with the ball but can read defenses and protect his quarterback.
“With Eli [Manning] I took pride in protecting him,’’ Bradshaw said.
Bradshaw said he is concentrating on getting healthy and “I really haven’t talked to anybody’’ as far as interested teams.
* In his eight seasons, Justin Tuck has seen teammates come and go, and last week, he saw Ahmad Bradshaw, Chris Canty and Michael Boley get released.
“You’re always a little surprised when you lose some guys who have been very integral in what we’ve done over the years,” Tuck said last night at the Founders Dinner at Cipriani Wall Street. “It is surprising but you also understand the business side of it.”
Speaking of general manager Jerry Reese and the front office, Tuck added “Those guys have done a great job over the years of building a team that can be successful and I don’t see why we can’t trust in the fact they know what they’re doing up there.”
Tuck, scheduled to make $4.5 million this season, said the Giants have not approached him about reworking his contract.
* Terrell Thomas, re-signed on Monday, is a low-risk gamble. His base salary for 2013 is $630,000, the veteran minimum for a player with his experience (three previous NFL seasons).
He received a signing bonus of $35,000 and also has a workout bonus of $35,000. The real money kicks in if he stays healthy, because there is a maximum of $500,000 in playing time incentives written into the deal. If he lands on injured reserve, though, his salary is reduced to $358,000.