Running back Chris Ivory signed his restricted free agent tender with the Saints on Friday, which eliminated the slim possibility that a team would try to sign him to an offer sheet that would cost them a second-round pick if New Orleans opted not to match.
It didn’t guarantee that Ivory will remain with the Saints for the 2013 season, however. The Jets hosted Ivory for a visit last week and they were believed to be interested in trading a late-round pick to New Orleans in exchange for the veteran running back.
According to a report from Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News, that interest is strong enough for the Jets to go ahead and make just such an offer. They’ve let the Saints know what they’d like to give up for Ivory and the Saints will now likely decide whether that’s enough for them to part with a player they tendered at the second-round level to help ensure he remained under their control.
Ivory would go from a crowded backfield in New Orleans to a crowded one with the Jets, although, as with quarterbacks, quantity and quality don’t really add up for the Jets. Instead of Pierre Thomas, Darren Sproles and Mark Ingram, Ivory would have to beat out Mike Goodson, Bilal Powell and Joe McKnight. That’s an easier path to playing time on paper, but only if the two teams agree on terms for a trade.