Should the New York Jets Keep Percy Harvin

In a move many considered too little too late in mid-season the Jets traded for WR and dynamic return man Percy Harvin. Harvin added legitimacy to a Jets receiving corp that many, including myself, considered soft and under talented. He also may have come along with some baggage, but whatever that baggage is it hasn’t been found in the Jets locker room yet. The fact that Percy is on his third team in as many years is concerning to some as it usually points to either a dysfunctional locker room presence or a lack of production on the field. Considering that everybody saw what he could do in the biggest spotlight in the NFL, the Super Bowl, I would lean towards the former rather than the latter. So should the Jets take a gamble on Harvin moving forward potentially retaining one of the more explosive playmakers in the NFL? Let’s take a look at some pros and cons:

Pros:

• He is an excellent wide receiver who runs good routes and has a good explosiveness off the line. He makes good adjustments on balls coming his way and has good hands. He can be used both as a deep threat on the outside or a shifty guy over the middle working from the slot.
• He is a dynamic weapon who can be used in the rushing game from both the outside receiver position on end around and jet sweeps and from the backfield as a more traditional running back. Either way if he gets the ball in space he is a threat to gain big yards.
• He is a good return man with good ability to shift laterally and make people miss. He has good field vision and can change direction on a dime.
• Teams need to game-plan specifically for him .
• Bonus: He can be really fun to watch!

Cons:

• His cap hit is going to be over $10 million next season!
• He is a role player, and as such his own team will need to game-plan specifically for him to get him the ball.
• Not an every down player and with a $10.5 million cap hit that can be a hard pill to swallow.
• He has had many issues in the locker room dating back to his school career. He has been in fights with teammates and reports suggest he has had a hard time fitting in team locker rooms. There have also been off the field issues.
• He is considered to be injury prone and rightfully so. He has battled through injury for most of his college and professional career. He missed most of last year due to surgery on a torn labrum that was diagnosed in the off-season. Harvin also has had a chronic migraine issue in the past that has resulted in him missing practice and game time during his stint with the Vikings.

There you have some of the pros and cons of Percy Harvin. Since coming to the Jets there has not been an issue in the locker room yet. Considering the current state of the Jets this a very positive sign. However, the injury bug has already hit once in his brief tenure with the Jets when he sprained his ankle the game against the Vikings. Should the Jets take the risk?