Brandon Marshall is signed with the New York Jets through 2017, but the team may decide that it does not want to pay a wide receiver $7.5 million in a rebuilding year. In the event that the Jets release him, many will speculate that the New England Patriots would be a perfect fit for Marshall.
And it sounds like he wouldn’t hate it.
In an interview with Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News this week, Marshall said he has mixed emotions about the thought of joining a clear championship contender.
“That’s intriguing, but that wouldn’t be my team,” he said of the Patriots. “I would be a rental player.”
Marshall will turn 33 this offseason, so he would likely be a rental for any team he played for other than the Jets. Now in his 11th season, Marshall has still never played in a postseason game. That’s something he wants to do before he retires.
“It’s top priority, I would say, over anything,” Marshall said. “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.”
Marshall added that his dream would be “to win a Super Bowl with my people,” but is there any chance of that happening in New York? He’s certainly saying all the things Jets fans want to hear.
“I want to win. I want it all. I’m being really greedy,” said Marshall. “I don’t want to be a rental player. I want to be able to leave a legacy in an organization where I can potentially go down as one of the all-time greats as a Jet.”
If the Jets decide the $7.5 million they owe Marshall in 2017 is better spent elsewhere, he may not have a choice. Given what he said a year ago about playing in New York, you have to wonder if Marshall would simply retire if the Jets release him.
