Jets Overpay For An Unnecessary Cooked Running Back
(AP Photo/Joshua Bessex)
A $7 million base for a 28-year old running back—D’oh!
If all incentives are met, the Jets will reportedly be paying Cook, who was released by Minnesota on June 8 after six years of service that saw him rush for 5,993 yards and 47 touchdowns, $8.6 million for this season under the terms of his one-year free agent contract.
As Garry Marshall’s character in the 2006 comedy “Keeping Up with the Steins” said, “Why don’t they just throw the money down the toilet?”
It’s one thing for Jets General Manager Joe Douglas to pay up for a quarterback, even a 39-year old like Aaron Rodgers. But a running back? Even if it’s just the $7 million guarantee that has been reported as of this writing, that would be the league’s 11th-highest salary cap hit at the position, according to Spotrac.com.
When you consider that Cook will eventually be the backup running back (every beat writer has reported that 2022 rookie sensation Breece Hall is still supposed to be ready for duty by the September 11 Monday night opener versus Buffalo after tearing his ACL in Week 7), it makes even less sense.
It should also be noted that Cook is recovering from offseason surgery as well. His shoulder, which has been problematic since his college days at Florida State, reportedly will keep him away from Jets practice for at least a week.
Cook is obviously a big name, but so was LeVeon Bell, and we all know how that worked out for the Jets and Douglas’ predecessor. Running backs, especially those with a lot of tread on their tires, have short shelf lives. There’s a reason why so many good ones can’t get paid what they feel they’re worth.
Cook found that out the hard way. By many accounts, after he was unceremoniously dumped by Minnesota, he was hoping to hook up with the Jets’ AFC East rivals, either his hometown team in Miami or New England. The Dolphins obviously didn’t show Cook the money and then the Patriots reportedly settled on former Cowboys star Ezekiel Elliot earlier on Monday (reportedly for a more reasonable $4 million guarantee).
Classic Jets to overpay in what looks like a panic response move.
The speedy Cook may still have an explosive play or two in his bag, but he’s not the between-the-tackles guy the Jets game plan around. Per ESPN, he had 62 carries for a loss or no gain last season and only 34.5% of his attempts gained positive yardage over expectation, the second-lowest rate among backs with at least 200 carries. His expected points added per play was minus 0.2, which placed him 39th among 42 RBs with at least 100 carries, per NFL Next Gen Stats. While he has value as a receiver out of the backfield, he has typically been lousy in pass protection, according to ProFootballFocus.com’s grading system.
So as much as Rodgers might be giddy about the prospect of seeing Cook juke his way to paydirt, let’s see how he feels when Cook keeps putting him in 2nd-and-11s.
This is the type of signing a GM makes when his personal timeline gets accelerated. The Jets are 13-37 since Douglas began putting his imprint on the roster in the 2020 offseason. Given his moves this offseason, it’s safe to assume a fire was lit under his feet by ownership.
For those who think, “Well, the Jets had the cap space ($16.3 million, per OvertheCap.com), so they might as well spend it,” remember that the NFL did away with the use-it-or-lose-it system in the 2011 collective bargaining agreement. Unused cap space can be carried over into the next season.
Or, how about using it on a premium position? Like tackle.
You’d think the Jets would know by now that a successful running game is predicated upon a solid offensive line. In its current state, there has to be concern at One Jets Drive, especially about the edges. Starting left tackle Duane Brown is still on the PUP list after offseason shoulder surgery. Besides, the 38-year old’s strength was his savviness as a pass protector—among the 66 tackles with at least 500 snaps last season, he ranked 63rd in PFF’s run blocking grades. On the right side, neither Billy Turner nor Max Mitchell has distinguished themselves in training camp and Carter Warren is just a rookie, prompting some to wonder whether guard Alijah-Vera Tucker will be forced to move outside again. Oh, and perpetually-injured Mekhi Becton played 27 snaps in Saturday’s preseason game in Carolina—hooray!
Obviously, there isn’t a tackle on the street deserving of big money—funny how 2022 Jets starter George Fant is still looking for a new place of employment—but maybe the Jets can acquire one from a tanking team in midseason. I hear the 2024 QB Draft class is impressive, so, if the Jets are truly all in on this season, I’d bet that there will be some team(s) willing to trade decent players for future Draft capital.
If not the offensive line, then surely the Jets should hold some cash in case another unit gets depleted by injuries. Wide receiver could easily become problematic, as it has in recent years. And there isn’t much depth behind Gang Green’s awexome starting cornerback trio.
Running back isn’t even a depth issue—the Jets could have easily made do with Michael Carter, Zonovan Knight and Israel Abanikanda until Hall is fully recovered for bell-cow duty. If not, throw the damn ball on early downs.