The New York Jets have made an official announcement regarding RB Thomas Jones. From the official team website:
"We have informed Thomas Jones and his representatives that we will release him on March 5," general manager Mike Tannenbaum said in a statement released by the club. "Thomas joined us three years ago and has been a productive, passionate leader both on and off the field who has served as a positive influence for our younger players. We were fortunate to acquire him and we wish him the best."
Jones, who will turn 32 on Aug. 19, enjoyed one of his best statistical campaigns in 2009. He not only ran for a career-high 1,402 yards but established a franchise record for rush touchdowns as his 14 broke the mark of 13 he set in ’08. His 210 yards on the ground in a Week 6 overtime loss to the Buffalo Bills also set a Jets single-game mark and personal best.
"When I got here, Thomas immediately became one of my guys. He had one of his best years last season — might have been his best," said Jets head coach Rex Ryan. "I have a tremendous amount of respect for him as a player and a person. As I said the other day, this is one of the tough decisions we had to make for our organization."
We all knew this was going to happen. With the emergence of Shonn Greene and the best O-line in the league, TJ just got too expensive for Gang Green to keep. He will definitely land somewhere else soon. We wish him success, but hopefully not at our expense.