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Percy Harvin Gets Jet-tisoned To New York

Posted byBy DJ Dunson | Published on: | Updated on May 29, 2017 CommentsComments (0)

If there's one thing the Jets know how to do, it's staying in the spotlight. On Friday evening, they succeeded by pulling off a shocking trade for Seattle receiver Percy Harvin. The Seahawks favorite play for Harvin this season was the Jet sweep, so who else would be better to swoop in?

It was just last April that the New York Jets' failed plan to draft Geno Smith and pair him with his West Virginia teammate went awry. The intent was for Austin to serve a multi-purpose role similar to the way Harvin was being used in Minnesota at the time. After all, Smith excelled throwing screens at a prolific rate during his senior season at West Virginia, but has been slow adapting to aspects of pro quarterbacking.

On Sunday against Dallas, Harvin's six touches from scrimmage gained negative yardage and half of his 22 catches this season have come from behind the line of scrimmage. 

It's bad enough to go from Russell Wilson to Geno Smith without also watching your hard work in pursuit of a second ring spontaneously combust at the whim off management.

Harvin's previously cantankerous attitude in Minnesota makes this appear to be an example of a disgruntled, diva receiver being shipped out of town mid-season to appease someone within the organization or prevent a locker room meltdown. However, he also wasn't cost-effective and with Russell Wilson due for a substantial payday in 2015 difficult choices would have to be made sooner or later. The Seahawks went with the latter.

Ultimately, whether the Seahawks took a loss on the Harvin acquisition which cost them a first, third and a seventh rounder last spring (and essentially Golden Tate), depends on your perspective.

In Super Bowl XLVIII, Harvin was electric rushing for 45 yards and returning a kickoff 87 yards to open the second half, yet they played 95 percent of their season without him and didn't skip a beat and when the league's highest paid decoy returned, he failed to elevate the passing attack as a deep threat. The Seahawks already have an underpaid Marshawn Lynch on their hands. They must have decided not to keep an overpaid "jack of all trades, master of none" eating up Lynch's carries–or his Skittles.

Lynch was quite unhappy with the news of Harvin's exit.

Alas, this trade may be too little too late–for New York and Rex Ryan. Seattle's Super Bowl XLVIII castoff will link up with Denver's underwhelming Super Bowl XLVIII wideout Eric Decker on the 1-6 Jets.

When weaponized Harvin is a dynamic all-purpose swiss army knife, but too often his body has betrayed him. Although he's healthy this season, it remains to be seen how he'll respond to getting jettisoned from a Super Bowl contender to New York's moribund franchise.

We know what Harvin hasn't been near his peak for the last two years. The burning question for the Jets is whether he can reach that level again.

This also makes Week 14 an interesting matchup between two physically gifted phantom receivers.

 

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