LaDanian Tomlinson Heads To Jets In $5.1 Million Deal

The Jets have agreed to a $5.1 million, two-year deal "in principle" that would bring future Hall of Fame running back LaDanian Tomlinson to New York. His agent told the AP, "He wanted to go a team that he thought had a chance to compete for the championship. He wanted to go somewhere where he had a chance to have a significant role, and so with the Jets he also was going to be very familiar with the offensive system."

The Daily News is a little skeptical, "The deal sounds like a bargain for the eighth-leading rusher in NFL history, but based on 2009, Tomlinson is a downgrade from Thomas Jones, the popular team leader who rushed for a career-high 1,402 yards." (Jones was released this year.) Tomlinson's stats have also declined in recent years, "the result of injuries and the Chargers’ move to a pass-first offense," the Times notes.

The Post says, "The Jets still envision [Shonn] Greene as their lead back." Tomlinson, who turns 31 this summer and was released by the San Diego Chargers, was also speaking with the Minnesota Vikings. He told a Minnesota paper that he was ready to accept fewer carries, “I know I can catch the ball really well out of the backfield, can run the routes and that’s something that I’ve always looked for as I got older in my career. Being able to fall back on that. Not having to carry the ball as much."

This is the Jets' second high-profile acquisition of a Charger—earlier this month, they picked up Antonio Cromartie (and his paternity issues).