5 Worst Moves Made by New York Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum

Since being named the General Manager of the New York Jets in 2006, Mike Tannenbaum has been known for his aggressiveness. 

Tannenbaum has made great moves in his tenure, bringing in big names such as Bart Scott, Jim Leonhard, Calvin Pace and Mark Sanchez. He has turned a team that was 4-12 when he took over into an AFC powerhouse that has made two straight AFC Championship games.

But with all the great moves comes the questionable ones. 2011 has been filled with controversial moves, including the signings of Plaxico Burress and Derrick Mason and the release of Jerricho Cotchery. 

The latest questionable move was signing former Bills LB Aaron Maybin, who had been a bust for Buffalo since being drafted in the first round of the 2009 draft. This move comes after the Jets finally released their own bust in Vernon Gholston.

Tannenbaum without question has become a great GM, but he has also made a bunch of moves that have made fans shake their heads. Here are the top five worst moves Tannenbaum has made since 2006. 

Feedback is welcome.

5. Signing CB Andre Dyson

One of the first moves made by Tannenbaum after becoming GM turned out to be one of his worst. 

Andre Dyson was coming off a Super Bowl appearance with the Seahawks in 2005, and was considered one of the better cornerbacks in the NFL.

The Jets had lost Ty Law to free agency after just one season, leaving a hole at the cornerback position that only consisted of then rookie Justin Miller and David Barrett. Tannenbaum was aggressive going after Dyson and beat out Seattle and Tennessee to sign him.

The contract was a five year deal worth $11.5 million, which many believed was a steal for such a quality cornerback. He was immediately placed into the starting lineup, and the Jets seemed to have made a great deal.

In his first year with the team, Dyson had four interceptions and added 51 tackles, helping the Jets improve their record to 10-6. However, year two didn't go too well.

Dyson played in nine games in 2007 and only managed to record one interception, and the Jets finished the season 4-12. The bad season ultimately led to Dyson's release after two years, and that 11.5 million dollars became a waste of money.

4. Trading RB Leon Washington

Besides this offseason, 2010 may have been the most controversial summer during Mike Tannenbaum's tenure. 

The Jets had just come off an AFC Championship appearance in 2009, but they made it there without RB Leon Washington. Washington, who was considered a fan favorite and one of the most important offensive weapons on the team, blew out his knee during a game against Oakland in October. Many people, including the Jets staff, believed he would never be the same as a running back.

In the team's defense, Washington's injury was compared to former Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann's career ending injury. He too had his leg bent the complete opposite way after being hit, and Theismann was never the same again. However, many people saw the Washington move as a way to save money and that Washington didn't get the chance he deserved. 

The Jets traded Washington to Seattle for a fifth round draft choice, but Washington went on to prove the Jets wrong. He set a Seahawks record after returning two kick returns for touchdowns in the same game, and finished the season with three kick return touchdowns.

Washington recently signed a new four year contract with the 'Hawks worth $12.5 million, proving that the Jets lost out on one of the game's better explosive players. He would have been a key asset in the team's offense this year now that Brad Smith is gone.

If you'd like to see the footage of Washington injury, watch here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFw0fUsWU38

3. Drafting Vernon Gholston

Thought this would be number one?

Gholston is considered to be one of the biggest busts in Jets history. Tannenbaum took him sixth overall in the 2008 NFL Draft to become the team's future pass rusher, something the team had been lacking for years.

Again, in Tannenbaum's defense, Gholston was highly touted out of Ohio State, and had one of the better combines in April. He was a 2007 All-American, All-Big Ten first team player and the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. However, many people saw him as undersized for his position in the NFL.

The Jets and Gholston agreed to a five year deal worth $40 million, but the worst part was the $20 million guaranteed. Gholston, who never recorded a sack in his time with the Jets, was still guaranteed that 20 million dollars regardless of his poor play. He never became the starter that the Jets needed, which forced them to spend more money on the likes of Jason Taylor and Bart Scott.

After three horrible years, the Jets released Gholston this offseason. He signed a deal with the Chicago Bears, where he will play in 2011 and may get a chance to rejuvenate his career. 

Gholston may have been the biggest bust in the team's history, but that doesn't make this the worst move. There are two more players that turned out even worse (believe it or not).

2. Trading for Lito Sheppard

Many of you will think that Vernon Gholston's deal was much worse then Lito Sheppard, but I'm here to prove you wrong.

In 2009, the Jets traded two draft picks to the Philadelphia Eagles for Sheppard, a seven year cornerback who had just lost his starting job to newly acquired Asante Samuel. The first pick was a fifth round choice for that year's draft, and the other was a conditional pick for the 2010 draft that turned into a fourth rounder.

After the move was done, the Jets restructured Sheppard's deal. The newest Jet would receive an extra three million for 2009, bringing his deal to four years and 21 million dollars. But the Jets also threw in an additional 10 million dollar bonus plus incentives. If Sheppard were to play all five years in New York, he would be making $27.2 million, a large amount for a number two corner back.

However, like Andre Dyson, many fans believed they got the proven corner for a bargain. The Eagles were having a hard time signing Sheppard to a new contract, and the Jets only had to surrender a bonus of $10 million. The Jets did wind up only having three draft picks in the '09 draft because of this deal, but many believed that they had found their future number two cornerback behind Darrelle Revis.

But when the season started, it all went down hill from there. Sheppard only appeared in 11 games in 2009, starting only nine of them. He managed to record just 25 tackles and one interception, which is not much when a majority of teams were throwing at him to avoid Revis.

After the season ended, the Jets decided to cut Sheppard rather then pay him any more money. The player that the Jets gave a bonus to and surrendered two draft picks for was released after just 11 games.

1. Trading for Brett Favre (Cutting Chad Pennington)

The worst move made by Mike Tannenbaum came in 2008, when the Jets decided to go after Packers QB Brett Favre.

Favre, who had retired after the 2007 NFC Championship Game loss to the Giants, had decided that he wanted to return to football for 2008. You know the rest, but it ends with the Jets trading a conditional fourth round pick to Green Bay for the Hall of Fame quarterback.

So many things were wrong with this move that I have to list them:

1) The release of Chad Pennington: The Jets had been struggling the past few years, and the main cause of it was the injuries suffered by Chad Pennington. The Jets decided to move into a different direction, but rather then draft a quarterback and have Pennington play out his career, they abruptly cut him in training camp and made Favre the starter.

This move certainly shook the team in many ways, especially when Pennington decided to become the starter in Miami. Jerricho Cotchery, who was recently abruptly released by the Jets, compared his release to Pennington's, saying, "It was like he was our starter and then one night, he's just gone". Pennington went on to beat Favre in the season finale that season, and the Dolphins went on to win the AFC East and the Jets missed the playoffs.

2) The Favre collapse: The Jets started off the season red hot, and by Week 12, they were 8-3 and had just beaten the then undefeated Tennessee Titans. But after that big win, the Jets suffered one of the worst collapses in team history, losing four of the last five while Favre threw eight interceptions and only two touchdown passes.

Fans later learned that the Jets had failed to report that Favre had a torn bicep, which cost the team $125,000 in fines later the next year. After that season, Favre and Mangini had it out, which led to Mangini being fired and Favre retiring for a second time, before signing with Minnesota.

3) Off the field drama: Besides the fines and the firings surrounding Favre following the 2008 season, more drama surfaced when rumors spread that Favre was sexting with then Jets Gameday host Jenn Sterger. Voicemails and photos popped up all over the internet, with Deadspin leading the way with the most information. He was eventually fined $50,000, but the drama that ensued surrounded the Jets well into the following season.

You can say the Favre deal may have helped the Jets, mostly because it led to Mangini being fired and the Jets going out and drafting Mark Sanchez. But what this move did was not only lose a pick and one of the team's longest tenured players, it also hurt the teams reputation. Sure, the team is always on the news now because of Rex Ryan, but it's usually good fun. The negative press from the Favre saga hurt the team more then ever, and that's what makes it Tannenbaum's worst move.

What do you think? Did I miss anything? Leave some comments and start the debate.