Will Kerry Rhodes be a Jet in 2010?

There have been many questions regarding Kerry Rhodes' status and whether or not he will be a Jet in 2010. Kerry Rhodes was far from his 2007 All-Pro form in the last few seasons, even finding himself on the bench for 2 games in 2009. Kerry Rhodes has been taking a lot of criticism for his overall lack of toughness and many question his drive and work ethic. When Kerry Rhodes was benched, S Eric Smith filled in as the starting safety. Smith was an obvious upgrade in the run support, but struggled covering the faster TEs in the league. With that said, Smith played fairly well and seems to be a much improved player than when he was in Mangini's system.


Now, Adam Shein reported that there could be a trade in the works between the Jets and the Arizona Cardinals. Since the Cardinals have cut S Antrel Rolle, they have a need at the safety position, in which Kerry Rhodes would be an immediate upgrade. In return, the Cardinals would be offering a 3rd round pick or WR Anquan Boldin. It would have been nice for the Jets to sign Antrel Rolle and then trade Rhodes to Arizona, this way the Jets would be improving at safety and also picking up a 3rd rounder or a Pro Bowl type WR. At this point, it does not appear that Antrel Rolle will be signing with the Jets. He is visiting with the Giants and the Dolphins, and will likely sign a contract with either of those teams.


Since it doesn't appear that the Jets will be able to sign a quality replacement for Rhodes at this time, I don't think it will be very likely that they will ship him out. Mike Tannenbaum likes to go into the draft without any big holes, so they don't have to reach for a player. If the Jets traded away Rhodes without getting a replacement, they may be in a bad situation come draft day with such few picks, and be forced to reach for a safety. The only way I see them doing this trade at this point is if the Jets are comfortable with Eric Smith as a starting player, which I don't think they are.

Remember, a lot can happen between now and the start of the season, so it would not surprise me if the Jets made a move with Rhodes. However, I don't see it happening in the next few days, especially without a starting safety on the roster to replace Rhodes. I definitely believe that the Jets are entertaining trade ideas involving Rhodes, since it is clear that he really doesn't fit Rex Ryan's system and does not take the NY City criticism very well.