Is Brandon Marshall headed for the New England Patriots?
Probably not, but he wouldn’t say no to the idea.
The New York Jets wide receiver’s 11th season in the NFL is ending with a thud, as his team sits at 4-10 with just two games left to go this season. That means Marshall will retain his career-long postseason drought, which is the longest of any active player.
For that reason, the New York Daily News’ Manish Mehta wrote that Marshall should join the Patriots should the Jets cut him to free up salary. The 32-year-old wideout didn’t hate the idea, but there is a catch.
“That’s intriguing, but that wouldn’t be my team,” Marshall told Mehta. “I would be a rental player.”
With 12,033 receiving yards and 82 touchdowns on his resume over 11 seasons, Marshall is one of the best, most consistent wide receivers in the league still, but he’s right about being a rental player. Marshall has only changed teams via trade and hasn’t been with a club for more than three seasons after spending his first four with the Denver Broncos. So while making the playoffs is at the top of Marshall’s list, he doesn’t want to do it with just any team if he can help it.
“It’s top priority, I would say, over anything,” Marshall said of making the playoffs. “But there’s two things that make it really difficult. One, I love it here. And two, I don’t want to be a rental player for anyone. So, I don’t want to jump ship and take the easy route and go somewhere where I’m just a rental cop for a year or two and I’m not a core guy. I want to do it being a big part of the puzzle.”
Even if the Jets keep Marshall and pay him the final $7.5 million he’s owed in 2017, he’ll become an unrestricted free agent after next season. Barring some miracle for New York, Marshall won’t be going to the playoffs next season, either, so maybe the Patriots will end up looking more “intriguing” in 2018.
Thumbnail photo via Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports Images
