The secret longevity of Brandon Marshall

One of the biggest stars on the New York Jets is wide receiver Brandon Marshall. Here’s a glimpse into the secret that keeps Marshall going this late in his career.

The New York Jets are in an interesting position as they prepare for the 2016 season. They are coming off a 10-6 campaign where they were literally a game away from making the NFL Playoffs.

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Second year general manager Mike Maccagnan is trying to balance the future of the franchise with competing in the present. Part of that struggle is that the core of this team are veterans who are well into their 30’s.

That includes their talented wide receiver Brandon Marshall who they acquired in a trade from the Chicago Bears last season. Marshall was asked about what he has left in a recent interview with the media and his answer was spot on as he needs to accomplish something for the first time in his prolific career.

One of the things that quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick and Marshall have in common is the fact that neither of them have ever been to the postseason. Something Marshall says drives him out of bed every morning:

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Brandon Marshall on the mental toughness…

“You know it’s tough when you’ve never been to the playoffs. You’ve got to have mental toughness to continue to pick yourself up and fight. The hard part is when you get older, it’s all mental. It’s not about whether you can still do it anymore.”

Marshall then acknowledged that it does take him longer to stretch and get warmed up as he gets older. Marshall cites the extensive process that is necessary to get your body ready for a game, let alone a season.

The secret Marshall reveals is making sure that you stick to the process. That is the difference between playing at a high level in your 30’s to continuing that into your late 30’s.

The fan base was split last year when they brought back franchise great cornerback Darrelle Revis to a record breaking 5-year $70M deal with $39M+ guaranteed. The criticism was what were the Jets paying for the past or the future?

A legitimate question since Revis Island at times looked lost when he was burned by the likes of wide receivers DeAndre Hopkins and Sammy Watkins last season. The Jets also made a heavy investment in Marshall when they traded for him by doing some interesting contract finagling, including a little incentive for Marshall.

NFL Media’s Albert Breer reported Saturday that the team has reworked the veteran receiver’s contract and raised Marshall’s pay along the way, upping his salary from $24.3 million to $26 million over the next three seasons, per NFLPA records.

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The key for the Jets is to get the most bang for their buck with their veteran superstars on the roster. For the Jets to reach the postseason for the first time since 2010, they’ll need both Marshall and Revis to have career years in 2016.