Will Chris Johnson Join the New York Jets?

Dec 29, 2013; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Titans quarterback

(4) hands the ball off to Titans running back

(28) against the Houston Texans during the second half at LP Field. Tennessee won 16-10. Mandatory Credit:

-USA TODAY Sports

The race for CJ2K is on, as Chris Johnson officially became a free agent at 4 PM on Monday afternoon. We know that the Jets are interested. On NFL.com, the Jets have been identified as a leader in the race to get Johnson, although we have not heard of any official visits for him.

The question is, will the Jets land Chris Johnson? Will John Idzik be able to make the move?

The simple answer is yes, for the right price.

Yes, Chris Johnson would fit in beautifully with the Marty Mornhinweg system. Can you imagine what it will be like to get a guy with his kind of speed on the outside? We could actually RUN A SCREEN PASS EFFECTIVELY! Does anyone remember how that feels?

For our longer fans, I don’t think the Jets have had this type of playmaker on the roster since Bruce Harper. Curtis Martin was not this type of player. He was more like Chris Ivory, as the guy that could pound it carry after carry. A fast outside runner has not been on this roster in many, many years.

But to overspend is not John Idzik’s way. We have seen this by now, in spades. The Jets biggest signing was Eric Decker, the top receiver on the free agent market at the time of his signing. He too signed a very team-friendly contract, with the number working out to around $7 million per season. All moves John has made are similar. The player gets paid the appropriate amount, or they go elsewhere, like Austin Howard. There was no way that John Idzik was matching the contract Howard was given by the Raiders.

This ties back into the way the Jets will pursue Chris Johnson. A bidding war will not occur that involves the New York Jets. John Idzik does not work that way. We know that. Either the Jets will be able to sell him on the role he will have in New York, or Chris Johnson will go elsewhere. Period. The Jets will not overpay.

Besides, if the NFL website has it correct, Chris may end up with a team that is much closer to winning than we are.

They have put out the theory that there is an “under the radar” team, and that the team might be the Denver Broncos.  If that is the case, I have the sneaky suspicion that Chris Johnson would jump at the chance to play with the defending AFC champs, led by some guy named Manning.

So, if it’s right, CJ2K will be here.  If not, he won’t.  Just as long as he doesn’t go to New England.  That would be very bad.