Report: Wide Receiver Percy Harvin Will Not Take A Pay Cut To Stay With Jets
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- It's looking more and more like the Jets will have to pay Percy Harvin $10 million next season if they want to keep him.
That's according to CBS Sports NFL insider Jason La Canfora, who wrote Friday there's no way the talented-but-volatile wide receiver will take a pay cut to stay with the Jets.
New general manager Mike Maccagnan and head coach Todd Bowles have been mulling what to do about Harvin for weeks. On one hand, the Jets can cut the 26-year-old playmaker with no salary cap hit because the remaining four years on Harvin's deal, which has a total value of around $42 million, includes no guaranteed money. On the other, the Jets are coming off a 4-12 season in part because they lacked impact players, and the idea of cutting Harvin would set them back in the talent department.
Then again, Harvin, who often struggles to stay on the field due to injuries, simply may not be a $10 million-per-year player. If the Jets do release him, they will reportedly be more than $60 million under the cap during a free agency period that will have more than its fair share of wide receivers for New York to put next to Eric Decker and Jeremy Kerley.
In addition, the Jets have the No. 6 pick in the upcoming draft, with many experts giving them a better-than-average chance of coming away with either Alabama star Amari Cooper or West Virginia wideout Kevin White, both of whom impressed during last week's Scouting Combine.
Acquired from the Seattle Seahawks in mid-October for a conditional pick, Harvin had 29 receptions for 350 receiving yards and a touchdown in eight games with the Jets, catching passes from arguably one of the worst quarterback combinations in the NFL in Geno Smith and Michael Vick.
The 22nd overall pick by the Vikings in the 2009 draft, Harvin has already played for three teams in his career, wearing out his welcome in both Minnesota and Seattle before being on his best behavior with the Jets.
Still, La Canfora reported Harvin's current situation was looking more and more like an imminent release, with several teams interested in signing him to a short-term deal.
The Jets reportedly have until March 19 to make their decision. If Harvin is cut before 4 p.m. on that day they will have to give the Seahawks a sixth-round pick, as opposed to a fourth-rounder if they decide to keep him.
