The most compelling personnel decision the Jets will have to make this offseason will be figuring out what to do with LaMont Jordan.
Hopefully they’ll figure it out, as Jordan, one of the biggest offensive playmakers the Jets have, was too often ignored for long periods of time by offensive coordinator Paul Hackett.
For his part, Jordan, an unrestricted free agent entering his fifth season who has been pining for more playing time, was very public and very adamant after Saturday’s playoff loss in Pittsburgh in saying he wants to remain a Jet, even if it means playing behind Curtis Martin for another year.
“I would love to come back here and play for the Jets, even if that meant me sitting on the bench for one more year, which I don’t want to do,” Jordan said. “But, if the Jets can present me with some type of offer, then I would definitely have no problem coming back here and playing behind Curtis.”
There, of course is a caveat, and a complicated one.
“Coming back, I would definitely need to increase my role,” Jordan said. “I want to play. That’s the bottom line. I’m tired of sitting on the bench. I don’t want to sit on the bench for another year, but if the Jets can make some type of offer to get me back here, I definitely want my role to be increased next year. I would love to be back here. I love this team.”
Jordan rushed for a personal-high 479 yards and a 5.2-yard average with two TDs this season as Herman Edwards pushed for more action to come his way. He and Martin, the NFL rushing champion with 1,697 rushing yards this season, provided as good a one-two punch RB combination as there is in the league.
The questions are, is that one-two punch a luxury or a necessity, and if the Jets do re-sign Jordan, how do they guarantee him more playing time?
“I don’t know what’s going to happen come March 1 when free agency starts, but I would love to be back here,” Jordan said. “That’s up to the people in the front office to make that happen. If there’s one thing I know, you’re going to play who you pay. I don’t know what my market value is, but I can tell you this much: I’m better than being a backup. I needed to be backup here for four years, but athletically, I have everything it takes to be a starter.
“I’ve matured not only as a football player, but as a man while watching Curtis and learning from Curtis, and right now I feel I’m fully-equipped to be a starter on any team in the NFL.”
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Ground Jordan
LaMont Jordan only had five carries for 30 yards against the Steelers on Saturday – bad news for the Jets, who won all five times Jordan had at least 10 carries this season. Here’s a closer look at those games:
Opp. Result Att-Yds.
Mia. W 41-14 14-115
Cle. W 10-7 18-73
Ari. W 13-3 12-43
Hou. W 29-7 11-60
Sea. W 37-14 15-84
