Bill Parcells brought immediate respectability to the Jets with one stunning and significant personnel move: Signing Patriots running back Curtis Martin in 1998.
That singular transaction began to make the Jets into the winning organization they are today, because the durable and unflappable Martin is easily one of the top five running backs in the NFL, accentuated by his finishing second in the league in rushing yards in 2001.
Now, four years after Parcells’ indelible move, it appears that Herman Edwards and the Jets’ brass are prepared to make another move that should keep the Jets as winners for the next few years: Give Martin a contract extension that would keep him in green (uniform and money) until the end of his career.
In terms of losing him, there’s no particular urgency to re-up Martin, because his contract doesn’t run out until after next season.
There is, however, urgency if the Jets want to vastly improve their tight salary cap situation while locking up Martin for another, say, three years after the 2003 season.
Martin, who averages $6 million per year, counts about $9.4 million against the cap this season and is due to count about $11.3 million in 2003.
It’s believed the Rams’ Marshall Faulk, considered by many as the best back in the league, is about to sign a new contract worth between $6 and $7 million a year, including a signing bonus of about $8 million.
A new contract would alleviate not only the cap situation, but more importantly it would keep Martin a Jet, something he said yesterday he wants.
“I want to retire a Jet,” the 29-year-old Martin said yesterday. “Hopefully, that can happen. My mind is not thinking about playing for anyone else. I know I’m always going to give my all for this team and do what I can to help this team win.
“I feel the Jets, all the powers that be, will do the right thing. It’s a business decision. I’m hoping the best will happen.”
From the sounds of Edwards yesterday, it looks as if the Jets will, indeed, do the right thing and keep Martin beyond his next two seasons under contract here.
“The first thing I always ask myself about guys going into their third contract is, ‘Does the guy like football?’ ” Edwards said. “You’ve got to make that determination. If you have any inkling that the guy doesn’t like football and you’re about to give this guy [a lot of] money you’re going to get a guy you’re stuck with.”
Edwards’ point was this: Martin is a man who likes football.
“He wants to be the best player in the league,” Edwards said. “The greatest thing about him is he likes practicing.”
Martin, who’s a mere 733 yards from becoming the 15th running back in NFL history to gain 10,000 or more rushing yards, has plans of his own and they’re hardly modest.
“This may sound a little bit ahead of myself, but I want to finish up like Michael Jordan did,” Martin said. “He went out on winning note, on top of his game. Whenever that day comes – maybe five, six years from now when I decide to retire – I want my last year to be better than my first year.”
Edwards said that while Martin has lost a step or two of his speed, it doesn’t matter because he’s a much smarter player.
“My pride won’t allow me to say I’m not as fast,” Martin said. “I feel as fast and as quick, but I feel a lot smarter. I feel a lot wiser. What I did with youth – the speed, the agility – I feel I can make up with wisdom now.”
Martin said he wants to “be different” from the other backs who reach the 10,000-yard plateau and see their numbers dwindle as their skills erode.
“There are a lot of boxers who aren’t good after a certain number of years,” Martin said. “I want to go against the odds. I believe I’ll overcome those obstacles that a lot of people don’t overcome when they get up in the years in their career. I know how much harder I have to work, how much more on top of my game I have to be.”
CHASING EMMITT
Curtis Martin has averaged 334 carries per season for his seven NFL seasons with the fewest carries in a year being 274 in 1997.
That places Martin seventh on the NFL’s all-time list for most consecutive seasons with 250 or more rushing attempts. Here’s the list:
PLAYER-SEASONS
1. Emmitt Smith (Cowboys) 11 (1991-2001)
2. Thurman Thomas (Bills) 8 (1989-1996)
3. Curtis Martin (Pats, Jets) 7 (1995-2001).
3. Eric Dickerson (Rams, Colts) 7 (1983-1989).