New York Jets Implosion: Why Rex Ryan Must Clean House, Dump Santonio Holmes

In what was almost a comical scene yesterday in Florham Park, New Jersey, the New York Jets cleaned out their lockers. Rex Ryan admitted to crying during a team meeting, Santonio Holmes refused to speak to reporters and was escorted from the premises by a Jets public relations official, Bart Scott flipped off a camera man and the normally talkative Darrelle Revis also refused to talk.

Those who did speak were open about the fact that the team's Super Bowl dreams were dashed by poor team chemistry, and several players told ESPN on the condition of anonymity that Holmes was a huge part of the problem.

Holmes was benched by offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer on Sunday after he clashed with teammates who thought he had quit. Apparently Holmes had to be restrained from fighting with tackle Wayne Hunter in the huddle, and that came just days after he clashed with quarterback Mark Sanchez in a meeting room. 

The Jets made a huge mistake investing a five-year, $45 million contract in Holmes before the season. He is a talented guy, but he's nowhere near being worth that much cash, and he has always been a problem personality-wise. 

The 27-year-old Ohio State product finished the season with just 51 catches for 654 yards and eight touchdowns. Those aren't the numbers of a guy who has a contract that guarantees him $24 million. 

Ryan has claimed he expects Holmes to be back next season. While his $7.75 million salary for 2012 is fully guaranteed, if Ryan really wants to clean up the Jets' locker room and restore harmony, he needs to urge New York general manager Mike Tannenbaum to get rid of the receiver.

While it would be pricey to cut him, Holmes needs to go if the Jets want to get back on track and keep the rest of the team happy. If they can't dump him on another team via trade, they should just bite the bullet and get rid of him, while admitting it was a huge mistake to sign him to that contract. It would be the first step in fixing what ails the franchise.