(Photo: Reuters/Beck Diefenbach)
Brandon Marshall (top) catches a touchdown pass above San Francisco 49ers cornerback Chris Culliver (29) during the third quarter of their NFL football game in San Francisco, California, November 19, 2012.
The Chicago Bears have traded WR Brandon Marshall to the New York Jets. The deal, which cannot be completed until Tuesday when the League year starts, is pending Marshall passing a physical. Since he was hampered by injuries last season that may not be a foregone conclusion. This move has implications for both teams but for the Bears it seems they are moving on from a highly talented, relatively affordable playmaker.
The return for the Bears, who sent two third round picks to Miami to get Marshall in 2012, are getting no where near that in return. Most reports have them getting a mid to late round pick. New Bears’ Coach John Fox likely doesn’t want the distraction of Marshall who publically criticized QB Jay Cutler while the team was struggling last year.
For the Jets the trade likely means they are ready to move on from WR Percy Harvin. The Seattle Seahawks dealt him to New York last October for a conditional 2015 pick. With Marshall in the mix as well as Eric Decker means the team will not want to keep Harvin and his 10.5 million dollar cap hit. Getting something in return for the troubled Harvin may be an uphill battle for a team looking to surround a young QB with positive, elite talent.
Marshall is owed 7.5 million guaranteed if he is on the roster as of March 12th. He is signed for 7.9 and 8.3 million for the next two seasons. A rebuilding team like the Bears can use that money for other players but that is still relatively affordable given what top WR’s get on the free agent market. That seems to indicate this was more about attitude than actual football skill. There are also some rumors that the team was miffed at Marshall for his weekly trips to New York to film a TV show, whish is possibly a jump start on his post playing career.
Source : Christian Post