New York Jets Free Agency: Is Sione Pouha Landing or Leaving with the Jets?

One of the hardest parts of building an NFL roster is finding reliable role players that can execute and perform at a high level when called upon.

Even harder than that, though, is figuring out how to pay those players when they've performed at an even higher level than expected.

Jets nose tackle Sione Pouha falls quite perfectly into that category. The Jets didn't franchise tag him, likely as a result of their pressing salary cap issues, but that doesn't mean they can't work out a long-term deal anyway, as pointed out by Rich Cimini of ESPN New York.

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Sources say both sides are trying to hammer out a long-term contract before the start of free agency next Tuesday, and there's no reason to think it won't get done. This isn't one of those sign-a-deal-or-we'll-tag-you kind of situations. The Jets have no plans to use the franchise tag on Pouha; the deadline is 4 p.m. Monday. 

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There is an interesting dynamic to be had in these negotiations. On the one hand, Pouha's position is one of the most physically demanding in football. He is asked to consistently take on double teams and sometimes even triple teams. As pointed out by Cimini, handing a 33-year-old nose tackle a long-term deal worth big bucks is a tough call.

On the other hand, his age may be misleading for the mileage he has on the tires. According to Pro Football Focus, he has played 53.5 percent of team snaps since 2009, so the past three years have really been more like one-and-a-half for him.

And if we had a third hand, we'd use it to tell you that a player who is primarily a two-down player and has played slightly more than half of his team's snaps in the past three years isn't worth a top-flight contract.

If the New York Jets were any closer to the salary cap they'd be kissing it on the lips. That's hardly the kind of situation you want to be in when you're trying to keep key talent.

What's more, with the 3-4 becoming the more prevalent front in the NFL, nose tackles are at a premium. The NFL as a whole is aware not only of Pouha's effectiveness on the field, but his leadership in the locker room.

Landing or Leaving? 

Pouha shouldn't have a hard time finding a bigger deal on the open market than what the Jets would be able to give him to stay. Given the league-wide need for a guy like Pouha and the Jets' constraints in terms of money, it doesn't seem too outrageous to think Pouha will be suiting up somewhere else in 2012.

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