One thing that has to be a factor in the Jets' thought process in dealing with David Harris is the thought of replacing him. Where could they possibly find an inside linebacker as good as him? I stated my preference the other day for the Jets to make Santonio Holmes a priority over Braylon Edwards in wide receiver negotiations. I would like to see both back in green and white. Even if neither is, the team has options to replace him. Randy Moss will be available. So will Terrell Owens. Jerricho Cotchery can reclaim a starting role. I would rather see Holmes and Edwards back, but these are palatable alternatives.
Where would the Jets turn? I couldn't tell you. No free agents are as good as Harris. There is no guarantee that anybody in the Draft would be able to step in and have a comparable impact. Is there anybody on the roster now who could do it? Would you feel comfortable with Josh Mauga or Jamaal Westerman?
Maybe you are upset with Harris' coverage. We addressed how it doesn't really hurt the Jets before, but how much would you lose against the run replacing the two time leading tackler on a top ten run defense? Is any good cover linebacker available who can work in traffic like Harris? Even if Harris' coverage is weak, he is a positive for the team. If his coverage costs the team a value of 1, and his run defense adds 5, he is still plus 4 (just assigning random values to prove a point).
Losing Harris would be a hit to the defense.