Statistically, the New York Jets signed one of the top free agents of 2014 on Wednesday night. Whether they actually acquired one of the top free agents in 2014 remains to be seen.
ESPN reported that the Jets signed free agent wide receiver Eric Decker to a five-year, $36.25 million deal, with $15 million guaranteed.
Decker had 87 receptions for 1,288 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2013, a year after he had 85 receptions for 1,064 yards and 13 touchdowns in his first season with Peyton Manning.
The Jets do not have Peyton Manning at quarterback. They have Geno Smith, who threw for 12 touchdowns and 21 interceptions as a rookie last season.
The question surrounding Decker's free agency was whether his numbers were inflated because of a Broncos offense that featured not only Manning but also Demaryius Thomas, Julius Thomas and Wes Welker.
Those pass-catching weapons helped Manning set the NFL record in passing yards (5,477) and passing touchdowns (55) in 2013.
One headline from Inquisitr.com about Decker's new team read: "Eric Decker Gives Up on Super Bowl Dreams; Signs With Jets."
The article talked about Decker leaving the most prolific passing offense in the NFL to go to one of the worst.
"The Jets certainly made an offer to Decker that would be hard to refuse, but one has to wonder if Eric will question leaving the highest-scoring offense in the history of the NFL and instead moving to a team that finished 31st in the league in passing offense last season," the report stated.
According to the Denver Post, Decker isn't concerned about the lack of experience Smith has compared to Manning.
With the Jets, his quarterback will be Geno Smith, who was erratic as a rookie last season.
"I did research; I didn't go into our meeting today blind," Decker said. "When you go from a Hall of Fame quarterback, no one else, no matter who it is, can be on the same level," Decker said. "Talking to the offensive coordinator Marty (Mornhinweg), who has had a good track record in San Francisco and Philadelphia, he really believes in this kid.
"When you look at the statistics, yeah, he got off to a slow start, but he was hurt early on and he finished the season strong. He improved all season long in a tough market. That's pretty impressive."
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