Getty New York Jets tight end CJ Uzomah celebrating with fans at the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The New York Jets might be pivoting in a different direction on the free agent market.
NFL Insider Jeff Howe of The Athletic revealed in a column posted on Sunday August 6 that Gang Green has “been in on” former Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott.
Throughout the offseason New York has been connected to free agent tailback Dalvin Cook, but Howe revealed that “there haven’t been any recent developments on that” front.
What Is Really Going on With Elliott and the Jets?
Back on March 23, Adam Schefter of ESPN shared a juicy Elliott update revealing that he had “narrowed down his options” of where to play next season to three teams: Philadelphia Eagles, aforementioned Jets, and the Cincinnati Bengals.
Cowboys’ RB Ezekiel Elliott has narrowed down his options about where to play to the Eagles, Jets and Bengals, and he would like to make his decision about where to sign by the end of next week, per sources.
Head coach Robert Saleh was later asked about that specific report at the NFL’s owner meetings and completely shut it down saying, “we love our running back room. I’ll leave it at that.”
Robert Saleh was asked about the Jets’ interest in Ezekiel Elliott:
“We love our running back room. I’ll leave it at that.”
However these new rumors have created questions on social media.
One of my favorite lines from the show “Game of Thrones” came from the character Petyr Baelish. He explained the art of understanding a person’s motives and how you should think about it:
“Sometimes when I try to understand a person’s motives, I play a little game. I assume the worst. What’s the worst reason they could possibly have for saying what they say, or doing what they do? Then I ask myself, ‘how well does that reason explain what they say and what they do?”
Why would this Elliott-Jets rumor emerge seemingly out of nowhere?
It could be a way for the Jets to push Cook to make a decision or they threaten to go in a different direction. It could easily be coming from the Elliott camp once again, similar to the Schefter report, where an agent is trying to drum up interest for his client. Or of course it could just be total rubbish.
However it is interesting, nonetheless.
Elliott is 28 years of age and has a sterling resume that features a former first-team All-Pro campaign, three Pro Bowl nominations, and he has led the league in rushing twice during his career.
Cook-Jets Update From NFL Network
Howe said he hasn’t heard of any new updates in the Cook-Jets saga according to his sources.
NFL Insider Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network said there is still “a lot of mutual interest” between the Jets and Cook.
From Inside Training Camp with the #Jets: The wait for Dalvin Cook is (still) on.
“It just hasn’t happened yet,” Rapoport explained on “Insider Training Camp” on Sunday August 6. “Obviously this is a team that could use a running back.”
Rapoport said it “would make a lot of sense” for this pairing to happen but both sides are waiting before moving a little bit closer toward a signing. “I would not be surprised if that ended up happening,” he said.
The Jets are waiting to see if Cook will lower his asking price or is willing to meet their price point. While Cook on the other side of the coin isn’t minding missing training camp time and if an injury was to strike the right team in the backfield that could increase his market significantly.