There was a report this offseason that the New York Jets would allow CB Antonio Cromartie to walk during free agency. It appears the Jets will instead try to hang onto him.
Antonio Cromartie Gets 1st And 3rd Round Tender From New York Jets
According to various reports, the Jets have placed a first and third round restricted free agent tender on Cromartie. Under the current rules, that means Cromartie can sign the tender and play, or sit out a la Logan Mankins and Vincent Jackson last year. Or, someone can sign him to an offer sheet and give up a first and third round pick for him, but that seems unlikely.
That’s the way things would happen under the current rules. The problem is that we don’t know how long these rules will be good. The current CBA allows for players with five or less years of service to be kept via restricted free agency and Cromartie is in that fifth year so he’s eligible. But the current CBA expires at midnight on March 3rd at which point there are no rules anymore.
Whenever a new CBA comes along, many people expect the rules for restricted free agency to revert back to the way they were before 2010 -- three years of service equals restricted free agency not five years. In that scenario, Cromartie would be an unrestricted free agent.
So that report about the Jets letting Cromartie leave during free agency? It still has a chance of being accurate.
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