If Only the Jets Weren't So Cheap...

Pete Kendall wanted a raise; he didn't get it. Chris Baker wants a raise; he doesn't seem like he's going to get it. After the Jets traded Kendall, their best lineman, before last season because of a dispute over a mere one million dollars, their offensive line completely collapsed. They went from 10-6 and a playoff team to 4-12 and the sixth pick in the draft. Their rushing attack and pass blocking weren't memorable last season, to say the least. 

This year, it seems as if they haven't learned their lesson. Chris Baker, who has been with the team since 2002, has been holding out for more money and the Jets seem not to be budging. After the team signed free agent Bubba Franks and drafted Purdue's Dustin Keller, Baker, the incumbent starter, is now the third highest paid tight end on the team's roster. 

Baker had 41 receptions last year, a career high. Next to Jerricho Cotchery and Laveranues Coles, he has the best hands of anyone on the roster. Although he is not a great run-blocker, he is a big target to throw to. If Chad Pennington ends up winning the starting position at quarterback, it is important for him to have a tight end he can throw to across the middle. Pennington needs a big target, who will be available for a short dump-off, since he no longer has a Jerald Sowell-type as a teammate. 

Right now, the Jets haven't paid Baker to make a point. In turn, the tight end is yet to attend a practice. If they trade or release him, they will be making a big mistake. Fans were upset about the Pete Kendall trade at the beginning of the season and even more upset at the end of the season. Not paying Baker will express to the fans that the Jets would rather save money than actually win. 

Two years ago, Coles wanted a new contract from the organization. When they wouldn't pay him, he claimed that the Jets were more concerned with paying big name free agents than they were with taking care of their current stars. The Baker holdout would prove just that. In an off-season, which the Jets signed Calvin Pace, Tony Richardson, Kris Jenkins, Damien Woody, Bubba Franks and Alan Faneca, it would be petty not to re-sign their starting tight end.

- D. Spell