Brandon Marshall Drawing Interest from Jets, but Is New York Tampering?

(Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

And the Brandon Marshall saga takes another ugly turn in Denver.

The well-publicized rift between the disgruntled wide receiver and the Broncos organization continues to grow even more peculiar by the day. As reporters cite their anonymous sources, the Broncos are preparing to co-write an NFL-inspired episode of Gossip Girl.

ESPN's Ed Werder reports the Broncos' intentions to "monitor" any words that escape from Florham Park, NJ regarding their Pro Bowl talent.

Werder's report comes on the heels of an article written by Bob Glauber of Newsday, speculating upon the Jets' interest in making an offer for the talented, albeit troubled Marshall.

As Rich Cimini noted in his Daily News blog, the information that's sending Denver into a frenzy isn't exactly new. The Jets have a disturbing question mark where the Broncos have a severe migraine; it's only natural for Marshall's name to be muttered in connection with New York.

After all, how often are Pro Bowl talents ostracized by their teams? Well, twice in one year if you follow the Broncos, but that's rare.

But accusations of tampering at this juncture? Where there's smoke, there's fire—and the Chicago Bears can attest to that with the new franchise quarterback they salvaged from a Mile High inferno.

Yet this isn't the first time the Jets have been accused of tampering in recent years. Werder's report bears a striking resemblance to the situation in 2006 when the New England Patriots believed the Jets were in the ear of wide receiver Deion Branch.

The claims were disregarded, Branch was moved to the Seattle Seahawks, and that's, uh, about it.

Merely a coincidence that the Jets are now being monitored by a Bill Belichick disciple, right?

If there's any tampering to report, it should revolve around first-year head coach Josh McDaniels and the Broncos fanbase he's managed to alienate with his reckless handling of personnel since being hired.

It's understood that new head coaches will inject their philosophies and preferred players into their teams, but McDaniels' dismantling of a high-powered offense with championship potential is far more detrimental than any vague transaction speculation.

The most appropriate thing for Denver to do is stop playing coy and work out the best compensation package for a receiver who will never give McDaniels his all. No one likes the aloof approach.

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