After losing to the New England Patriots 27-25 on Thursday Night Football, the Jets had their best moment of the season the next day when they acquired wide receiver Percy Harvin from the Seattle Seahawks.
General Manager John Idzik pulled off a brilliant trade by sending a conditional 2015 draft pick to Seattle, ranging from the second to fourth round depending on his production for the remainder of this season.
After this season, Harvin has no more guaranteed money left on his contract, so he can be released without the Jets taking a hit on their cap space. This is important because while, yes Harvin is one of the premier athletes in the NFL, he’s constantly injured and hasn’t produced that much when he is healthy during his time in Seattle.
If Offensive Coordinator Marty Mornhinweg can get Harvin at least 12 touches a game on the ground or through the air, then he will be an extremely productive player. His addition gives the Jets an explosive playmaker, which is something that they’ve needed for about three seasons now.
Harvin, Eric Decker and Jace Amaro now give Geno Smith multiple weapons on offense. Because of this, the final nine games of the season should ultimately determine Smith’s fate as the team’s quarterback.
Thus far in his career, Smith has shown flashes of being a great quarterback, but his lack of consistency has caused many to believe he should be replaced as the team’s starter and quarterback of the future.
So, Geno, show us what you’ve got. Prove us wrong and show that you are truly capable of being an above-average starting quarterback in the NFL. Jets fans will be more than happy if you can do that.
This acquisition of Harvin is not only huge for Smith, but also for Head Coach Rex Ryan. With the team playing so poorly, it’s likely that Ryan will lose his job at the end of the season. If the Jets finish strong then it’s likely that Ryan will keep his job. As the NFL Network’s Ian Rappaport reported, Jets’ Owner Woody Johnson is afraid of firing Ryan because he believes he will make him pay in the future.
Going forward, as a 1-6 team, the Jets would have to win at least eight of their remaining nine games to have any legitimate chance of making the playoffs. So knowing the Jets, they’ll go 3-6 even though they’ve already finished the hard part of their schedule and have mostly winnable games remaining.
This Sunday, the Jets will host the Buffalo Bills. Since taking over as the Bills, starting quarterback Kyle Orton has given them a spark as they’ve won two of their last three games.
Despite the recent success of the Bills, I think the Jets will actually win this week by a score of 35-31. Harvin will be a huge spark as he scores two touchdowns in the win. Smith will throw for three touchdowns overall and Chris Ivory will rush for the Jets’ other two scores.