After the Cardinals lost to the Panthers in the playoffs and lost defensive coordinator Todd Bowles to the Jets head coaching job, cornerback and impending free agent Antonio Cromartie said that he was open to a return to the Jets a year after the team cut him to save money.
That move led Cromartie to Arizona, where he turned in a strong season on the way to a postseason berth. Fellow cornerback Patrick Peterson would like to have Cromartie back for a return engagement in 2015, but his take on Cromartie’s response to his recruitment efforts suggests that Cromartie might be a bit more than open to a second stint with the Jets.
“I’m definitely trying to keep him here,” Peterson said, via ESPN.com. “It’s going to be tough, especially with Todd being in New York and he loves [New York]. That’s all he talks about is freaking New York. I’m definitely trying to get him to stay and we’ll see what happens.”
Cromartie has kept a house in the area and said that whatever choice he makes this offseason about his home for 2015 will be affected by what’s best for his family, which is living in that house while his kids go to school. The Jets certainly need some help at cornerback, which could make Peterson’s job even tougher once other teams are allowed to start talking to members of this year’s free agent class.