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Mike DeVito signed a three-year, $12.6 million deal with Kansas City ($4.2M signing bonus), shortly after free agency started.
How does this happen so fast?
It’s simple.
Even though there is supposed to be limited contact before the official start of free agency, let’s not be naĂ¯ve, there is a lot of contact before the proceedings officially start.
In fact, from what I hear, this DeVito-to-KC deal was probably put in place at the combine.
I hear DeVito’s agents (DeVito is pictured above with one of his agents) met with the Chiefs in Indianapolis.
I’m not pointing fingers here – everyone does it.
But I heard DeVito was likely going to Kansas City from a little birdie at Lucas Oil Field, when I was covering he combine, late last month.
Bob Sutton wanted him bad for the new defense he’s installing in Kansas City, and Andy Reid obliged.
And while DeVito said all the right things, he clearly wanted a change-of-scenery.
DeVito is a high road guy, but he and his camp were pretty ticked off at the Jets for making him take a pay cut last spring.
It was frivolous and unnecessary – they should not have done that to him. He wasn’t making that much.
They used the Quinton Coples’ pick as leverage against DeVito. That was unfair. True, Coples has more of an upside than DeVito, but he came in raw as molasses as a 3-4 end, so for Mike Tannenbaum to immediately say that DeVito was going to be a backup, to forcing Mike to take a paycut, was a low brow move. If you think DeVito and agent Buddy Baker forgot this, you are kidding yourself . . .
The Jets are interested in free agent wide receiver Brandon Gibson (St. Louis).
This makes a lot of sense because he knows Marty Mornhinweg’s offense. He was sixth round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles in 2009, where Marty was an assistant the last 10 years. Gibson was traded on October 20 of that year to St. Louis for veteran linebacker Will Witherspoon.
In his first game active for the Rams, on November 15, he caught seven passes for 93 yards.
During his three-plus years with the Rams, he had 174 catches and nine touchdowns.
Rex Ryan, who runs the Jets defense, knows first-hand that this guy is underrated. In the Jets-Rams game this year, Gibson caught two touchdown passes – one on Kyle Wilson, and the other on Antonio Cromartie.
Morhinwig really likes Gibson, and he’s visiting the Jets tomorrow, and they seem like the odds-on favorites to land him.
He is a graduate of Washington State University. He was born in Germany . . .
The Oakland Raiders released safety Michael Huff today. The Jets should jump on him. He’s a safety with corner cover skills. And I’m not just saying that. It’s true. When the Raiders had injuries at corner last season, they played Huff at corner.
The Jets still need to improve their cover skills at safety.
Yeremiah Bell and LaRon Landry (who are both free agents) were good, not great in coverage for the Jets last year. Both much better in run support.
The Jets picked safety Josh Bush in the sixth round of the 2012 draft to help in coverage, but then he hardly saw the field.
Huff is perfect for the Jets needs – a 6-0, 211 pound safety with 4.4 speed . . .