Getty A group of New York Jets players celebrating after a touchdown was scored.
The New York Jets might be hitting the eject button on a veteran playmaker.
Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic joined me on my podcast and said it is likely the end of the road for Gang Green running back James Robinson.
“I would be surprised if he came back. I would say James Robinson almost definitely doesn’t want to come back. You could kind of see it at the end of the season how unhappy he was. I’d be surprised, I just think you just take that as a loss, that trade.”
Time for the Jets to Likely Wash Their Hands of James Robinsone
After Breece Hall went down with a torn ACL in the Week 7 matchup versus the Denver Broncos, the Jets had a decision to make.
Stick with the guys on the roster or get aggressive and go fill the void with a new piece. General manager Joe Douglas chose the latter.
He scoured the league investigating every single available running back and ultimately decided to make a deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Jets received Robinson and the Jaguars got a conditional sixth-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft. If he reached 600 rushing yards on the season that pick would become a fifth-rounder.
Things looked good early as Robinson scored a key touchdown in the Week 9 upset victory over the Buffalo Bills.
However, it all fell apart from there.
He only ended up appearing in four total games with the Jets and was a healthy scratch for the final five games of the season:
- 29 carries
- 85 rushing yards
- 2.9 yards per clip
During his period of inactivity, Robinson revealed his frustration to Rich Cimini of ESPN saying “I didn’t come here not to play” among some other apparent shots at the coaching staff.
The Solution to the Jets Running Back Problems
Robinson is set to be a restricted free agent this offseason.
That means Gang Green could choose to retain him on a one-year deal for a projected value of $2.6 million.
However, it sounds like he is gone which would leave the roster with four running backs:
- Breece Hall
- Michael Carter
- Ty Johnson
- Zonovan ‘Bam’ Knight
“I do think they need to add a running back whether that’s in the draft or a cheap veteran because I don’t think you can rely on Breece Hall returning to form at least right away. Historically it just doesn’t happen for guys who have torn ACLs, especially at that position,” Rosenblatt told me on my podcast. “It’s a deep free agency class at running back and usually you can find a good one in the middle rounds. I think they need to do that this offseason.”
On paper, the running back position doesn’t seem like a big need at all for the Jets, but it is another one of those sneaky needs for the team.
Another factor in all of this is who the heck is going to be the offensive coordinator. Naturally, that answer will provide some potential solutions as scheme fits to fill the running back void on the roster.