Maybe the recent rash of NFL DUIs conjured bad memories.
Regardless of the precise reason, receiver Braylon Edwards won’t be regaining his “New York essence” any time soon.
Brian Costello of the New York Post reports that the Jets have decided against signing Edwards, who most recently played for the team in 2010. Last season, the Jets acquired Plaxico Burress to replace Edwards, who signed with the 49ers and eventually was cut after knee problems limited him to nine games and an Ocho-style 15 catches. Burress, like Edwards, is now looking for work.
Before the draft, G.M. Mike Tannenbaum said he wouldn’t rule out Edwards, based in part on his “intense practice habits.”
Since the draft -- and more specifically in round two of it -- the Jets acquired Stephen Hill. Moreover, the Jets apparently are shifting toward an attack that relies more heavily on the running game, which means that a guy like Edwards could be a luxury they simply don’t need. (Which is sort of the definition of a luxury, but work with me on this, please.)
The third overall pick in the 2005 draft had his biggest season in 2007, with 80 catches for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns. The Browns traded Edwards to the Jets during the 2009 season, with the Jets sending a third-round pick and a fifth-round pick to Cleveland. He generated 541 receiving yards in 12 regular-season games during his first year with the Jets, and 904 yards in 2010.
Edwards’ biggest impact came in the postseason, with an 80-yard touchdown catch against the Colts in the 2009 AFC title game, and a 15-yard touchdown reception against the Patriots in the 2010 AFC divisional round.
But it was a September 2010 drunk driving incident for which Edwards became most notorious. With Giants offensive lineman David Diehl capping a three-DUIs-in-two-weekends trend, the Jets may have decided that they don’t want to take another chance at Edwards generating the wrong kind of headlines.