.png)
In one of those "tough to swallow" (for Jets fans, anyway) moves we see every off-season, expect the New York Jets to release their leading rusher of the past three season.Thomas Jones is due a $3 million roster bonus on March 9, plus his $2.8 million base salary, while also keeping in mind that he turns 32 in August should result in the man that rushed for 1,000 yards for the past five seasons finding himself in Free Agency.
Despite having his best season as a pro in 2009, one must understand that the NFL is ultimately a business, and tough decisions have to be made.
Jones is at that feared age for running backs. The one where they simply fade off into obscurity. The Chargers were faced with a similar situation with LaDanian Tomlinson, who they released on Monday.
Of course, all of this will hinder on the recovery of Leon Washington's fractured fibula in 2009, but all signs point to Washington being right on schedule.
Washington was well on his way to his best season as a pro in 2009. Before the fracture, he rushed for 331 yards on 72 carries (4.6 ypc).
The Jets also have an emerging young running back behind Washington that will make losing Jones a little bit easier to handle.
Shonn Greene, the Jets 3rd round draft pick out of Iowa, gave us flashes of being a great running back in this league throughout the 2009 campaign, but was never given consistent time sitting behind Washington and Jones. He rushed for 540 yards on 108 carries (5.0 ypc) and two touchdowns.
Greene was most relevant come playoff time, which is where he let his light shine the brightest. The Jets found themselves in the AFC Championship game due to a pair of large performances from Greene.
Greene rushed for 135 yards on 21 carries and a touchdown in the opening round win over the Bengals, and followed that performance up with a 23 carry, 128 yard performance with a late touchdown run to give the Jets the game-winning score.
With Washington coming back healthy, and Greene showing that he can handle the pressure of the NFL, even come playoff time, Thomas Jones just is not worth the $5+ million price tag that he will carry.
There are plenty of teams that can use a solid 1200-1300 yard rusher, but expect nothing more than a one or two year deal at the most for the 32 year old veteran.
