Chris Ivory led the AFC in rushing in 2015 with 1,070 yards, but that doesn’t mean Jets fans should feel too badly if they lose him. Ivory is expected to have to move on from Gang Green due to salary cap constraints.
"I would like to stay in New York if we reach an agreement. But I know the cap space they're working with and everything and the other guys they have to get signed or want to get signed back,” Ivory told ESPN. "They want to bring me back, but like I said, I think it's about the cap space. That's going to be the biggest factor as to whether I'm back or not."
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There’s one thing the Jets can do; they can restructure the contract of star cornerback Darrelle Revis, according to ESPN’s Rich Cimini. Such a move would help the Jets in a major way in 2016; they could comfortably re-sign Ivory along with QB Ryan Fitzpatrick and defensive linemen Muhammad Wilkerson and Damon Harrison. But it would also cause Revis’ cap numbers to be an albatross for the remaining years on his deal, and at age 31, he’s showing serious decline. Just watch the game film of Week 17, when he was tortured by Bills receiver Sammy Watkins in a loss that knocked the Jets from the playoffs.
Ivory has become popular for Jets fans thanks to his physical running style. He resembles Marshawn Lynch with his hard-charging, but he hasn’t shown any of Lynch’s durability. Ivory has a reputation for being injury-prone, and even though he has played in 14 or more games in each of the last three seasons, he’s never even reached 250 carries. 2015 was also Ivory’s first time reaching 1,000 yards rushing, so the Jets would be paying big bucks for a 28-year-old coming off a career year, at a position which has become the most replaceable in the NFL.
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The Jets restructuring Revis would essentially declare 2016 Super Bowl or bust. That’s a major risk with two aging cornerbacks, as well as banking that they’ll not only re-sign Ryan Fitzpatrick, but that he’ll continue his renaissance after what was far and away his best season.
They can re-work Revis’ contract, but they’ll only need to look at the recent history of the Cowboys and Redskins to see their future.
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