At this point last year, discussion about cornerback Antonio Cromartie centered on when the Jets would release him to save money under the cap following an injury-plagued and ineffective 2013 season.
Cromartie wound up getting cut in March and signing in Arizona, where he turned in a strong bounce back season with the Cardinals to set him up on stronger footing heading into this offseason. Cromartie is on track to be a free agent and talked about making a return to the Jets on Wednesday.
“My door is always open to returning,” Cromartie said, via the New York Post. “Everybody knows I didn’t want to leave. I’m going to keep my door open and see what happens.”
Cromartie isn’t the only former Jets cornerback that can be a free agent this offseason, but he might be the more realistic return option. He’ll cost less than Darrelle Revis and he comes with a year of work in new head coach and former Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles’s system under his belt. Cromartie said he thought Jets players accustomed to Rex Ryan would love Bowles and said he may meet with linebacker Demario Davis soon to give some pointers about Bowles’s scheme.
It doesn’t make sense for players about to hit the open market to limit their potential landing spots, but the Jets’ need at corner and Cromartie’s ties to the area (he’s living in New Jersey this offseason) suggest there could be something to this potential reunion beyond the Bowles connection.
