Edwards gets down at his birthday bash in February 2011. (Getty Images)

By Will Brinson

Braylon Edwards had a decent run in New York, statistically speaking. He caught 53 balls for 904 yards and seven touchdowns in 2010, when he was the Jets leading receiver. But they got rid of him anyway, bringing in Plaxico Burress and letting Braylon limp off into the San Francisco sunset on a one-year, $1 million deal.

The 49ers cut Edwards midway through the year, however. And the Jets are now interested in bringing Edwards back, according to a report from Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. Edwards would, ironically, replace Burress, who's not expected to return to the Jets in 2011.

Rex Ryan was always a fan of Edwards, but the same wasn't necessarily true for Jets teammates. Edwards off-field antics, including a DWI arrest after the 2010 season began, caused some teammates to call him "selfish" (sound familiar?).

I'd doubtful Edwards would look selfish if he re-signed with New York: the wideout wouldn't likely cost much in terms of guaranteed money, and the Jets could almost certainly get him on a one-year contract.

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After three years, Bart Scott's tenure with the Jets appears to be over.  (US PRESSWIRE)

By Ryan Wilson

When Rex Ryan arrived in New York three years ago, he wasted little time bringing some of his former Ravens players with him. Linebacker Bart Scott was one of the first, signing a six-year, $48 million deal with the Jets in February 2009. Scott's skills have diminished to the point that the organization has given him permission to seek a trade, according to the New York Daily News's Manish Mehta.

The Jets restructured Scott's deal before the 2011 season, which offered some immediate cap relief in exchange for a 2012 base salary of $4.2 million. As his production slips, it becomes increasingly difficult to justify that salary.

More details via Mehta:

Scott's base salary is $6.9 million in 2013 and 2014. Scott's guaranteed base salary in 2012 makes it unlikely that the Jets would simply cut him. Financially, it won't make much sense.

Scott, 31, grew increasingly unhappy with his diminished playing time during the Jets' disappointing 8-8 season. He was routinely taken out on third downs due to the team's belief that he had difficulty in coverage.

Scott had 54 solo tackles in 2011, his lowest total since arriving in New York (though he had four sacks after logging one each in '10 and '09). And according to Pro Football Focus, Scott played fewer snaps last season than he did the previous two.

Not surprisingly (at least not after watching this again), Scott's frustrated. His agent Harold Lewis told ESPNNewYork.com's Rich Cimini that Scott's diminished role was "destroying him," but noted that his client's "ultimate goal" is to stay with the Jets.

"If we can't fix what's broken," Lewis said, "there will be other opportunities."

It appears that Scott's tenure with the Jets will end one way or another this offseason. Ideally, New York would like to trade him in the hopes of getting something in return for a guy that'll count $5.9 million against the cap. The most likely scenario, however is that the team will end up releasing Scott, who probably won't generate much interest on the trading block when teams know that he'll be a free agent in the coming weeks.

As for possible destinations, Lewis declared that Scott would play for the Giants "in a heartbeat."

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Whatever you say, Mr. Ryan. (Getty Images)

By Will Brinson

INDIANAPOLIS -- Forgive us for not primarily focusing on draft-related players in this edition of knee-jerk judgments. But on the first day of the NFL combine, there were relatively few players of note to talk to; none of the interior linemen made appearances with the media, there were some lonely kickers and punters present, and not all of the tight ends showed up.

Most of the media sessions were spent chatting up various general manages and coaches, every single one of whom was asked about Peyton Manning and/or Andrew Luck. Or their own quarterback.

Winners

Andrew Luck: Luck isn't even in Indianapolis yet (that we know of) and he's already getting swooned over, as Mike Freeman wrote earlier on Thursday. The only flaw that people can find is his arm strength, and even that's a stretch. More good news is that his former coach, Jim Harbaugh, thinks he'll handle the pressure of all the expectations surrounding him just fine. Don't expect the hypemobile to drop speed between now and late April.

St. Louis Rams: On Thursday night, we told a St. Louis radio station that Jeff Fisher would be sitting back and smoking a cigar by the time Robert Griffin III finished running his 40-yard dash. That's because Fisher and the Rams will be holding an auction for Griffin, the clear-cut, second-best (if second ...) quarterback in the draft. Everyone in Indy's glowing about the kid and he hasn't arrived yet either. And everyone interested should get involved. If the Browns, Dolphins and Redskins don't get involved, they're doing themselves a disservice, because RG3 is going to good in the NFL. Make the move, pay the picks and reap the benefits. Fisher's willing to do just that.

Green Bay Packers: There seems to be a lot of speculation about teams wanting Packers backup quarterback Matt Flynn around Indy right now. (The Browns, Dolphins and Seahawks could all be interested parties.) Now that Green Bay's locked up Jermichael Finley for two more years, they can, if they want, apply the franchise tag to Flynn and then trade him for the best offer they get from one of the interested teams. As long as they get more than whatever the compensatory pick would be, they win in this deal.

Pittsburgh Steelers: Shortly after Kevin Colbert stated that he wanted wide receiver Mike Wallace to retire as a Steeler, Pittsburgh managed to restructure Ben Roethlisberger's contract. Making Ben more expensive in the future might not help in the future, but it means right now the Steelers can keep Mike Wallace. The No. 1 wideout in Pittsburgh's gotten flak as the heat's cranked up on the possibility of him leaving, but the fact remains that he's the team's best wideout. Antonio Brown is a stud -- the only guy who we know that loves Brown more than we do is fantasy expert Dave Richard -- and he'll keep improving. But Brown doesn't become team MVP without Wallace keeping top cornerbacks away from his side of the field.

LaRon Landry: Holy muscles, Batman. Did he hijack Ryan Braun's FedEx package or something? We kid, we kid. (But no, seriously: we're joking.) On the first day of young football playing fellas flexing their muscles for the public, Landry stole the show with his ripped Twitter pics.

Losers

Jonathan Martin: Forgive us for not loving everyone out of Stanford, or for not giving Martin credit for having confidence. But the athletic offensive tackle won't be participating in most of the drills at the combine, because of food poisoning. (We asked him what he ate, and he didn't remember, but said it was in Arizona. Fear not, consumers of spicy shrimp cocktails.) Martin also repeatedly said he's the best tackle available in the draft, and said "without a doubt" he's better than Matt Kalil. Competition is fun, and confidence is good, but we're not sure why he's talking a big game if he's not participating in the drills.

Mark Sanchez: As Clark Judge noted, "Sanchez should be worried." That's because Rex Ryan came out and made no bold guarantees (a staple of the combine for Ryan) regarding the job security of his starting quarterback. It's OK for Rex to downplay the interest the Jets could have in Peyton Manning; Manning's not a free agent yet, and there are roughly 25 NFL teams that will at least discuss what Manning could do to their franchise. But the lack of guarantees for Sanchez during a tumultuous offseason should be concerning for the Jets current starting quarterback.

Kevin Kolb: Like Sanchez, Kolb didn't exactly get ringing endorsements from the guys who cut his checks. Ken Whisenhunt and Rod Graves didn't explicitly say they'd think about dumping Kolb (due a roster bonus on March 17) if Manning became available, but they sure didn't slam the door on the idea. 

Tight Ends: This is the new position that's redefining the NFL, right? Well, um, here's the problem (as also noted by CBSSports.com's own Pete Prisco): where were these guys during their big combine day? Rob Gronkowski was the story during the Super Bowl, and for a week after. Jimmy Graham shattered records. Vernon Davis was the guy who made Alex Smith great. And Orson Charles, the third-rated tight end by NFLDraftScout.com, said he's happy to sit and learn behind someone like Tony Gonzalez?Love the attitude. Love it, and Gonzo's the man. But if you're a coming into college and someone tries to steer you away from playing tight end in college, don't listen to them. Or listen to them and stop playing basketball?

Stevie Johnson: We've thought he'd get the franchise tag from Buffalo at minimum. But in listening to Bills head coach Chan Gailey, that's just not happening. Or it might; but Gailey's description of Johnson was quintessential "we're sorry to lose Stevie." He said he wouldn't miss Stevie until Stevie was gone and then cited the "business" of the game. Those aren't the words of a coach who's pumped to be celebrating a new contract for his franchise wideout.

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The Manning-to-New York speculation won't die just quite yet. (Getty Images)

By Will Brinson

INDIANAPOLIS -- This time last year, Rex Ryan stood up on the podium at the NFL combine and guaranteed that the Jets would win a Super Bowl in 2011. Whoops.

No such guarantees from Rex this year, but last year's promise was the topic of his opening remarks for his 2012 press conference. And Ryan said that he believes his guarantee "contributed" to last year's "terrible" season.

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"It's something I've been thinking about a great deal and obviously we had a terrible season and I'll take full responsibility for it," Ryan said. "I think part of that guarantee really contributed to that. Now looking forward, which I can't wait to do, with that upcoming season. First off: no promises. There won't be any promises."

Rex's own comments weren't the only ones he didn't like. Asked about Greg McElroy's comments regarding the team's locker-room chemistry, Rex made it clear that didn't sit well with him.

"I was angry about it," Ryan said. "I never agreed with all the statements he made, but hey, the thing about our football team is that we're truly a transparent organization. You're going to know a lot about the New York Jets in the great times, but you're also going to know a lot about us in the not-so-good times."

"Are you talking about my son? Or some other Peyton?" "First off, Peyton's under contract to a different team so I can't talk about him specifically. But with our organization, we will look at everybody. There's a list of 10 free-agent quarterbacks that I've looked at. There's the draft guys I've looked at. In my opinion, we have the best cornerback in football history -- along with Deion Sanders -- and we're still looking at a million corners.

"We will do -- always -- what's in the best interest of our organization. For us, that means we're going to be prepared. We're going to look at any possibility that out's there, perceived or otherwise.

"We will look at all possibilities."

In other words, even though Rex is currently throwing his full support behind Mark Sanchez, the Jets not looking at Peyton is far from a guarantee.

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Jaws says he loves Mark Sanchez, just not more than Peyton Manning. (Getty Images/US PRESSWIRE)

By Ryan Wilson

There hasn't been much to report on the Peyton Manning front lately. The media furor surrounding the Colts' quarterback left Indianapolis about the same time the Super Bowl did. Which lends credence to the theory that the Manning-Jim Irsay back-and-forth was all about winning the PR battle while the biggest game of the year was played in their backyard.

The most recent speculation has the Seahawks interested in Manning, assuming the 36-year-old quarterback will be healthy enough to resume his career in 2012 and that the Colts cut him loose in the coming weeks. (Peyton's due $28 million on March 13; we can't see a scenario where Irsay forks over that kind of dough.)

But perhaps we're being too presumptuous. Here's what Seahawks general manager John Schnieder said last week.

“I’ve been blessed to be around a lot of really good quarterback people that have taught me a lot about the position,” Schneider said lastThursday. “So I just kind of incorporate that with the quarterbacks I’ve been around. I just try to take all the information possible from everybody I’ve been around. Ijust know if you panic at the position, it can set the organization back. So we're not going to do that,"

“That may disappoint fans, because they want to see an instant guy and have that instant success,” Schneider continued. “But really, you’re better off continuing to build your team. Initially when I got here, I thought we were going to plug the quarterback in and we were going built around him. If we had done that, we would have panicked in a way. And I’m not sure we would have been able to host the Saints (in the 2010 wild-card playoff game) and had that great atmosphere and all that.”

There's something to be said for not panicking. Then again, it's hard to convince the fan base that you're taking the position seriously when you trade for Charlie Whitehurst and a year later sign Tarvaris Jackson. The former isn't a capable backup and the latter was described perfectly by NFL Network's Mike Mayock this week, “He’s developed to a certain point, but I think that position needs to be upgraded. And I don’t mind T-Jack competing for the position, but I think you either have to get a free agent in there or you have to draft somebody.”

But Seattle isn't the only team breathlessly included in the Manning sweepstakes. There are the other usual suspects: the Redskins, Dolphins and Jets. ESPN's Ron Jaworski, most recently identified as the third wheel in Monday Night Football's new two-man booth, was asked about Manning's NFL future.

“I think Peyton Manning ends up playing somewhere else (other than Indianapolis)," he said during an appearance 97.5 in Philadelphia (via SportsRadioInterviews.com). "I think it’s a win-win for everyone. Certainly, when you look at the Colts right now, they’re a team that’s going through their development process with a new coaching staff and new players. It’s going to be just like when Peyton came on board, years to develop that football team. I think it’s best for Peyton to go and play on a team that can compete for a Super Bowl, a team that might be a quarterback away from elevating that team to Super Bowl status and I think that would be a win-win situation.”

When asked about potential destinations, Jaws suggested what a lot of people have been thinking for months.

“The New York Jets. … I love Mark Sanchez and there are 25 other quarterbacks in this league that I would take Peyton Manning over. There’s a turf war in New York. The Giants just won the Super Bowl. The Jets are fighting for every inch of space they can get in the newspaper. How do you get that inch? How do you get the headlines? You sign Peyton Manning.”

Jaworski joins Curtis Martin, us, and we imagine Rex Ryan, who won't admit it now but has almost certainly given some thought to the possibility.

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The 2012 free-agent quarterback class is an, um, diverse group. (Getty Images)

By Will Brinson

Leading up to the start of free agency on March 13, we're compiling lists of the best 2012 NFL free agents by position. These are the quarterbacks.

Though the list of free-agent quarterbacks for 2012 isn't necessarily the greatest crop of players in NFL history, it does have the potential to be one of the most intriguing in years, because of one man: Peyton Manning. Manning's saga is well-documented at this point; the back-and-forth between Manning's camp and Jim Irsay dominated the freaking Super Bowl.

Releasing him into the wild seems like a mere matter of timing. So we're going to take that assumption and add Manning to our lists of free agents. We're also including the Saints Drew Brees and 49ers Alex Smith on this list, since both are technically unrestricted free agents, until they receive the franchise tag from their respective teams. There's a better likelihood of Jimmy Clausen unseating Cam Newton than there is Brees not returning to New Orleans, but maybe someone in the Saints office will forget to fax in the franchise-tag paperwork.

Brees offseason could be interesting.  (Getty Images)

1. Drew Brees

Breakdown: The biggest problem for the Saints isn't that Brees might leave. He's not going to unless something really ridiculous happens. The biggest problem for the Saints is that if they're forced to use the franchise tag on Brees, they could end up losing Carl Nicks and Marques Colston. That won't make Brees any happier when it gets down to brass-tack negotiating.
Potential Landing Spots: Saints

2. Peyton Manning

Breakdown: Perhaps you've heard of Manning before. He's third all-time in passing yards (54,828). He's third all-time in passing touchdowns (399). He's won more MVPs than anyone in NFL history (four). And he's second in his own family with Super Bowl rings (one). That last item isn't a shot at Manning, though. It's the reason we believe he's not done when it comes to football, and that he'll come back to the game supremely motivated. No one knows whether or not he'll be fully healthy by the time the 2012 season begins. We do know he won't be fully healthy by the time March 13 rolls around, though. Which means that anyone who signs him will be engaging in a serious high-risk, high-reward game of chicken with Manning's neck.
Potential Landing Spots: Cardinals, Dolphins, Seahawks, Jets, Redskins

3. Matt Flynn

Breakdown: Flynn's attempted just 132 passes at the professional level, but 81 of them are pretty impressive. Those came in the only two starts of his career, when Flynn managed to go 55 of 81 for 731 yards, nine touchdowns and two interceptions. There are concerns that Flynn can't make every throw (right now) and that he might be a product of Green Bay's system. But that system's in Miami now, as former Packers quarterbacks coach Joe Philbin is the Dolphins head coach. If Miami doesn't make a run at Flynn when free agency opens up, that should be a big red flag for anyone else interested in Aaron Rodgers backup.
Potential Landing Spots: Dolphins, Seahawks, Redskins

4. Alex Smith

Breakdown: Smith resurrected his career under new 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh and, in the span of about two playoff minutes against the Saints, nearly flipped the entire narrative of his career. As it is, Smith's improvement in 2011 is impressive; according to Pro Football Focus, he had the third-highest accuracy percentage in the NFL (factoring in drops, throwaways and spikes) last year, behind only Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees. Smith's said he isn't interested in leaving San Francisco, and Harbaugh's gotten his back publicly, even though there's zero chance they'll use the franchise tag on him.
Potential Landing Spots: 49ers

Henne could surprise in the right spot. (Getty Images)

5. Chad Henne

Breakdown: Miami drafting a quarterback in the second round: an April tradition unlike any other! But no, seriously, Henne's in a long line of signal-callers that the Dolphins took in the second round who didn't pan out. He's had serious problems with interceptions; Henne's got a 3.5 percent INT rate over his career and only nine of his 36 NFL games have not featured him throwing a pick. And Henne tends to look particularly robotic at times in the pocket (these things go hand in hand). But he's only 26 and it's not fair to blame him for all of Miami's woes the past three years. Henne can make all the throws and flashed some serious potential at times during his tenure in South Beach. He's the highest-upside backup quarterback out there and he's got several former coaches -- Brian Daboll, Tony Sparano -- coaching in spots that could use a backup quarterback.
Potential Landing Spots: Chiefs, Jets, Broncos

6. Jason Campbell

Breakdown: It's hard not to feel sympathetic for Campbell. The former Auburn star and first-round pick has had roughly 25 offensive coordinators since he started taking snaps in college and he's about to start out on his third NFL roster once the free-agency shuffling begins anew this year. He's 30 and hasn't played a full season in the past two years, either because of injury or being benched. The latter was for Bruce Gradkowski, so it's hard to tell what's worse for his reputation. He makes a lot of sense for a team that wants someone to push their starter without making a stink in the locker room.
Potential Landing Spots: Chiefs, Eagles, Jets

NFL Free Agency

Kirwan: Clubs could chase PIT WR Wallace Freeman: DE Avril a possible premium FA Wilson: Seattle emerging as fave for Peyton? Prisco: Best free-agent matches for each team Mock Drafts: Rang | Brugler | Kirwan | Prisco Eye on Football: NFL free-agent position ranks

7. Kyle Orton

Breakdown: Orton's was a "winner" with the Bears, he was a stat-hog for a season with the Broncos, he flirted with the Dolphins and finally he was a streak-killer with the Chiefs. He's not going to be anyone's starter in 2011, unless Washington seriously misplays everything in free agency and the draft (not out of the question). But he's an above-average backup in the NFL and could certainly compete with the starters that various teams -- KC, Washington, Jacksonville, for example -- will trot out in 2011. Orton doesn't want to deal with being a "stop-gap option" but it's unlikely he'll have a choice next year.
Potential Landing Spots: Redskins, Chiefs, Jaguars, Bears, Broncos

8. David Garrard

Breakdown: Pete Prisco's second-favorite quarterback missed the entire 2011 season after the Jaguars cut him and he underwent surgery for a herniated disk in his back. There was interest in the 34-year-old last year after teams lost quarterbacks to injury, but he decided to recover from the surgery instead. While that's the smart move, Garrard won't find the market as friendly for his services this time, especially since his agent said on February 15 Garrard would be ready in "four to six weeks." Expect someone with a steady starter and tenuous backup to look to Garrard.
Potential Landing Spots: Bears, Broncos, Buccaneers, Rams, Raiders

9. Shaun Hill

Breakdown: Hill's 32 and not exactly a spring chicken. But he performed admirably in place of Matthew Stafford in 2010 and the fit between he and the Lions is a nice one. The Lions are tight with cap space, but Hill appears to like where he's at, and it's not like he'd break the bank in another location anyway.
Potential Landing Spots: Lions

VY's likely to remain a backup. (Getty Images)

10. Vince Young

Breakdown: Now seems like a good time to remind you that the guy who coined "Dream Team" in Philly was indeed the backup quarterback and someone on a one-year contract. His personality and turnovers will cause a problem for teams looking to sign him. Unless that team happens to run the read-option offense and could really use a mobile quarterback with success in the NFL to step in and freelance if/when Tim Tebow gets hurt/melts down.
Potential Landing Spots: Broncos

11. Rex Grossman

Breakdown: Did you know that Rex Grossman is actually "Rex Grossman III"? Poor Mike Shanahan had RG3 on his roster the whole time and didn't even know it. Sigh. Anyway, Grossman's not going to attract a lot of attention on the market, and nor should he. As the old saying goes, though, "love the one you're with." And Grossman and the Shanahans are with each other, even if Rex isn't starting next year. It would be surprising to see him playing anywhere else in 2012.
Potential Landing Spots: Redskins

HONORABLE MENTION

Unrestricted Free Agents: Dennis Dixon, Josh Johnson, Brady Quinn, Charlie Whitehurst, Donovan McNabb, Dan Orlovsky, Drew Stanton, Caleb Hanie, Charlie Batch, Kellen Clemens

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Mario Williams would do a lot for the  Jets' pass rush. (US PRESSWIRE)

By Ryan Wilson

For all the flak quarterback Mark Sanchez took last season -- deserved and otherwise -- the Jets' defense had something to do with the fall from annual playoff team to unmitigated disaster. Specific instances come to mind -- Eric Smith getting Tebow'd in the Thursday night game, Anotonio Cromartie's phantom coverage skills against the Pats (not to mention what happened to him against the Raiders) -- but the lack of a pass rush and ill-timed coverage breakdowns haunted the unit for most of the season.

That and the Jets' willingness to spend money during the offseason would naturally put them in the conversation for Mario Williams' services. The Texans' 2006 first-overall pick, who missed much of last season with a torn pectoral muscle, will be a free agent in a few weeks and there's speculation that he could become the NFL's highest-paid defensive player when he signs his next contract.

While the Jets might covet Williams, the team probably won't pursue him for one simple reason: money.

"Even though the Jets have a glaring need for a 3-4 OLB, they are expected to sit out the Williams sweepstakes," ESPN.com's Rich Cimini wrote Sunday morning. "The primary reason is cap room. As of last week, they had less than $500,000 in projected cap space. They can create room by restructuring bloated contracts and cutting players -- and they probably will -- but they evidently prefer to use the money to address several needs instead of putting all their eggs in the Williams basket."

Which makes the decision to keep Santonio Holmes around for a cool $15.3 million all the more curious. That's obviously not enough to land Williams, but it's a start. And if nothing else, it would rid the team of Holmes, who quit mid-game in Week 17 and isn't much of a Sanchez fan (despite the Valentine's Day XOXO tweet).

For now, Ryan says Sanchez is his quarterback, Holmes is his wide receiver, and Williams doesn't appear to be in the team's offseason plans. That means that the Jets will target lower-priced free agents and use the draft to fix their defense. CBSSports.com's Rob Rang has New York taking Alabama safety Mark Barron with the 16th pick, and Dane Brugler likes South Carolina outside linebacker Melvin Ingram.

Whatever happens in the coming months, one thing remains a certainty: Ryan is still planning on getting a Super Bowl ring quickly.

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Slauson played with a multitude of shoulder problems in 2011.  (US Presswire)

By Josh Katzowitz

The other day, the Chicago Tribune revealed a report in which Cardinals safety Adrian Wilson, who tore his biceps muscle in training camp but still played the entire 2011 season, was on the field for 1,134 snaps -- the most of any defensive player in the NFL.

That was pretty impressive.

Now, we bring you this Newark Star Ledger story that reports that Jets guard Matt Slauson started every game this year despite suffering a torn labrum, rotator cuff and bicep in his left shoulder.

Obviously, Slauson played the season in a cringe-worthy amount of pain after injuring his shoulder in December 2010, and after the season, he underwent surgery on his arm that will keep him out for five to six months.

“I knew something was wrong, but I was like, 'OK, I'll keep on playing as long as I can play,' and I was able to get through it all," Slauson told the paper. "I felt like I had a fairly successful year personally with it. So I'm really excited about next year without having pain."

Slauson initially thought the injury wasn’t a big deal because he could still play and lift weights. It was only until after the season that he discovered the magnitude of his shoulder problems.

Pro Football Talk makes an interesting point on the matter. Considering the Jets were fined $125,000 after not disclosing the fact that Brett Favre had a partially torn biceps in 2009, you’d figure they’d be extra vigilant about making injuries known during game week. This year, Slauson was never listed on the injury report as having any shoulder problems.

Though Slauson might not have known the extent of his injuries, it seems unlikely that he didn’t tell the team -- or receive any treatment from the team -- about his shoulder injury. And despite Slauson’s pain tolerance, you have to wonder if the league will check back in with the Jets to see what was happening in the training room.

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