Yesterday evening, Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum held his annual post-season press conference in which he shared the Jets intentions for the 2010-2011 season. Below is a summary of the key points that were discussed:
- The shock of the day came regarding LB Vernon Gholston --- Tannenbaum was very confident that he would return next year.
- Said they planned to bring FS Kerry Rhodes back, but that nothing is finalized yet. He did touch on Rhodes' inconsistencies, and said that when he was at his best he was great, but that there were other games that he didn't play as well as he and they had hoped.
- Jets are looking to retain and tender offers to RFA's WR Braylon Edwards, RB/KR Leon Washington, and QB Kellen Clemens.
- Said that he expected RB Thomas Jones to be back, and that he hoped he would return. Although, he did point out that there were "economic issues." Remember, Jones is due for a $2.8 million roster bonus this year.
- QB Mark Sanchez has not yet made a decision as to whether or not he will have work done on his knee. Tannenbaum said even if he chooses to have it, the procedure will be minor and more rehabilitative-oriented than anything. It will not be major surgery. He did make it a point to say that no matter what he decided, Sanchez would definitely be ready to return well before training camp is set to begin.
- He seemed the least optimistic about veteran CB Lito Sheppard returning. Lito is due for a hefty $10 million roster bonus this upcoming season. Furthermore, he did make it a point to say that the Jets would be looking to add depth to the secondary in the off-season.
The press conference can be viewed on NYJets.Com in its entirety here
To see key quotes from Tannenbaum, continue after the bump.
Mike Tannenbaum Regarding Each Player's Status:
Kerry Rhodes
"We expect him to be back unless something changes. He will be back"
Vernon Gholston
"Yeah, Vernon hasn't played as well as he has hoped or we had hoped. But the attributes of why we drafted him is really what gives me hope there. Which is he really has a great work ethic, he's 23 years old and you know this is going to be an important offseason for him."
"Yeah, my expectations are he'll be back."
Thomas Jones
"We expect TJ to be back. You know there's some economic issues that obviously have to be looked at over the next month. But we hope that he's back..."
Lito Sheppard
"We haven't finalized any decision on Lito yet."
"I think we do need to add depth to our secondary, and that will definitely be an area we look at in the offseason."
Mark Sanchez
"He will be ready well before training camp.No decision has been made if he will have a procedure..."
Kellen Clemens
"Well, we're going to tender Kellen. So, whether or not he gets another offer as a restricted free agent, we'll look at that."
"You know if another team came along and was interested in Kellen, we'll certainly evaluate that"
Leon Washington
"We're definitely going to tender Leon unless something happens differently with the CBA."
Braylon Edwards
'We're going to tender Braylon, and expect for him to be back as well."