This time, the Cristal will have to stay on ice.
Just four years ago, Santonio Holmes played a huge part in helping the Jets to the AFC Championship Game and landed a contract with $24 million guaranteed. His signature Gang Green moment being a sprawling touchdown catch against the Patriots in the divisional playoffs.
But a lot can change in four years, and now, it’s an open question as to whether Holmes can find a team willing to employ him in time for this season.
Holmes worked out for the Bears on Tuesday, but they decided to go in another direction, instead signing Greg Herd — an undrafted free agent from Eastern Washington who spent time with the Cowboys and Seahawks last season but did not appear in a game.
Holmes missed most of 2012 with a foot injury, and was no longer a game-breaking threat when he returned last season — with 23 catches and one touchdown in 11 games. The Jets released Holmes after the season.
The only other team that has shown interest in Holmes is the Browns, who could be without wideout Josh Gordon. The Browns’ top receiver is appealing a year-long ban for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy.
Should the Browns decide to sign Holmes, it would re-unite the mercurial receiver with Mike Pettine, who was the Jets’ defensive coordinator for three of the four seasons Holmes spent in New York.