Jets made the right call on future with Calvin Pryor

The New York Jets have decided to move on from safety Calvin Pryor after the upcoming season is over as it’s the right call for the direction of the franchise.

In an article written by Rich Cimini of ESPN, he confirmed that the New York Jets are not picking up the fifth-year option of safety Calvin Pryor. With the Jets selecting not one but two safeties in the 2017 NFL Draft, it was a clear message that they decided to move on without Pryor in the long-term picture.

The truth of the matter is that Pryor regressed tremendously last season and is the definition of inconsistency. He developed the nickname “Louisville Slugger” but failed to live up to the hype usually associated with a first-round selection.

Of course, during that 2014 NFL Draft, it was under the old Rex Ryan/John Idzik regime and well, was a poor decision in the grand scheme of things. Pryor never developed into the premier safety they had envisioned as his stats leave much to the imagination.

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In his tenure so far with the Jets, Pryor has only totaled 129 tackles, two interceptions, and just two forced fumbles. Needless to say, the Jets didn’t get the usual kind of production out of a free safety early on in his career.

It was expected that a positional change to a strong safety, which is what Pryor excelled at in Louisville, would do the trick. He showed some progress but again, wasn’t consistent and oftentimes looked lost and confused on the gridiron.

The Jets made the right call by not being locked into a future with a safety that unfortunately isn’t meeting the cut anymore. General manager Mike Maccagnan continues to do what is best for the direction of this franchise by getting rid of unproductive players. For a complete rebuild, it’s imperative that these decisions are made so the Jets can eventually return to being contenders again with quality players that fit the vision of playing well and winning football games.

Overall, the defensive secondary of the Jets last season was abysmal and Pryor had a hand in that. It would make sense to trade Pryor now at some point this offseason since the Jets might be able to get something back in return. It would not only give him a fresh start somewhere else but perhaps recoup a mid to late round draft pick for a once promising defensive back.