The New York Jets continued to bolster their secondary with the addition of cornerback Antonio Cromartie, per Adam Schefter. The four-year deal has a base value of $32 million, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News.
Antonio Cromartie signs with Jets for 4 years, $32M
The cornerback returns to New York and will be reunited with Todd Bowles and Darrelle Revis.
Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports
Cromartie will be reunited with his former defensive coordinator in Arizona, where he spent the last season under the watchful eye of new Jets head coach Todd Bowles. Prior to joining the Cardinals, the four-time Pro Bowl corner played four seasons in New York, starting 63 games for the Jets in that span. According to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport, Darrelle Revis, who signed with the Jets on Tuesday night, heavily recruited Cromartie to return to the Big Apple. The two cornerbacks shared a secondary in New York for three seasons from 2010-12.
Cromartie, who turns 31 in April, is one of league’s most consistent and dependable corners. He has played in 143 of 144 possible games during his nine-season career, and has at least three picks in each of the last six seasons. His 31 interceptions since his rookie campaign in 2006 are the fifth-most by any player in that span.
The Jets already locked up two the top available cornerbacks -- Revis and Buster Skrine -- during the first 24 hours of free agency, and clearly aren't done looking to upgrade a pass defense that ranked among the worst in the NFL last season. The Jets allowed a whopping 31 touchdowns (third-most) and had only six interceptions (tied for fewest) in 2014, and their opponent passer rating of 101.5 was the third-highest in the league.
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