Free agency doesn’t officially start until next week. In the meantime, the NFL has been busying itself with some noteworthy trades. On Friday, the Chicago Bears agreed to trade Brandon Marshall to the New York Jets pending a physical.
As of right now, no one has specific information on what the Jets are giving up, though reports from Ian Rapoport and Jason La Canfora indicate it will be a 5th round pick. The Jets are expected to cut Percy Harvin, who is scheduled to make more than $10 million in 2015. Chicago was said to be likely to cut Marshall, which makes them fortunate that they were able to get anything at all. At the same time, the Jets were interested enough that they were willing to part with him without other team competing against them in free agency.
Marshall turns 31 in a few weeks and had a bit of a down season in 2014, though injuries and the complete mess that was the Chicago Bears are mitigating factors. Of course, it’s hard to imagine him having a rebound year in New York when the quarterback situation there is muddled to say the least.
It’s very hard not to read the move as a signal that the Bears are no longer concerned with keeping Jay Cutler happy, as Cutty and B-Marsh are the bestest of buds. Whether it means trading Cutler is the next move remains to be seen, though there doesn’t seem to be a lot of activity on that front. That said, as we’ve seen this week, it doesn’t take a lot of time to get a trade done when both parties are ready to make it happen.
For now, RIP Cutty and B-Marsh bromance.