New York Jets Potential Free Agent: Charles Woodson

Jan 5, 2013; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers safety Charles Woodson (21) during the game against the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Wild Card playoff game at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

Tuesday afternoon is the big day. The big day that free agency opens, and the new league year begins for the NFL. As such, teams have gotten into the swing of making their salary cap moves, and the Green Bay Packers are no different. Around a week ago, the Packers made headlines when they released Charles Woodson, a top flight CB/S for over 10 years in the league.

Even though the free agency period hasn’t opened yet, rumors do leak out when big names begin to be associated with new teams. Woodson is no different. A report surfaced that our Jets were one of four teams to express interest in the 36 year old defensive back.

So, the question is an obvious one.  Should the Jets make a serious play for this guy?  Let’s take a look at it.

The man is not without his positives.  Charles Woodson truly has had an excellent football career.  Here are his full stats to bring you up to speed:

He truly has been excellent throughout his career.  Now we will look at some of Woodson’s grades, courtesy of our friends at Pro Football Focus.

Jan 5, 2013; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers safety Charles Woodson (21) celebrates a play during the fourth quarter of the NFC Wild Card playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings at Lambeau Field. The Packers won 24-10. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Although his production was down in 2012, we are not that far from a 2009 season when Charles Woodson edged out Darrelle for defensive player of the year. Woodson picked off 9 that year, three for scores. They were virtually neck and neck in their overall PFF grade that year, Woodson with a 34.4, and Revis with a 32.9. QB’s threw for a passer rating of 51, which wasn’t much worse than Darrelle’s 32. Obviously Woodson can play.

After a down 2010, Charles Woodson had a big 2011 with 7 INTs. But how did he grade out?

Darrelle Revis led the league that year with a 24.6. Charles Woodson, however, wasn’t so well off with the grade, posting a mere -0.3. His best rating all year long was a 2.8. Ratings like this tell me that he has lost a step. In 2012, neither Revis or Woodson played much, so a comparison is not necessary.

However, the drop off in his play is hard to ignore. From the high grade of 34.4 in 2009, to a 1.4 in 2010, to a negative in 2011 is just not good. He moved to safety in 2012, which is a great play for versatility, and did record an INT, his 55th, as a safety. However, a broken collarbone limited his season to only 7 games.

Think about where this team is at as well. Coming off of the 6-10 debacle that was 2012, are we at a point where a veteran DB is going to make the difference in putting this team back where it belongs? I doubt it. If you are going to bring in a 36 year old defensive back, that addition needs to serve as the last piece of the puzzle, the one that takes your team over the top.

If Charles Woodson is going to play again in 2013, he needs to go to a team that is close. It doesn’t make sense for him to come here, and the Jets have young talent in the defensive backfield, so it doesn’t make sense for them to sign him either.

Look elsewhere.