Why Percy Harvin Trade Was a No-Brainer Move for New York Jets

General manager John Idzik's slow-and-steady approach to team building requires enduring a fair amount of low points, but the Jets have redefined the meaning of "low" over the past month. 

Now sitting at 1-6, Rex Ryan's Jets have hit a wall in every sense of the word. The Jets were back to playing competitive football, but they simply did not have the horses to beat supremely talented teams, no matter how clean of a game they played. 

More so now than at any point in Ryan's tenure as head coach, the Jets needed a shot in the arm—a player that is capable of making bad offenses look scary at times. Someone who could tip the matchup game in the Jets' favor for once. 

Someone like Percy Harvin. 

Elaine Thompson/Associated Press

Making such a big blockbuster trade is not completely out of character for Idzik, as he did trade Darrelle Revis just a few months onto the job in 2013. That trade, however, was made in the name of rebuilding a team. This move is an attempt to bring one back to life. 

At first glance, a 1-6 team destined for an irrelevant autumn should hardly be buyers near the trade deadline. If anything, the Jets should be sellers—that is, if they had anything to sell.

But taking a close look at the details of Harvin's contract and how it could potentially impact the Jets over the long term, the only mistake Idzik made in this trade was not making it a week sooner.

Harvin's incredible ability to change games with one touch of the football is well documented. While not the prototypical No. 1 receiver from a size standpoint at 5'11", Harvin's combination of explosiveness and versatility is matched by few, if any.

Dealing with atrocious quarterback play in Minnesota, Harvin still managed to post 30 touchdowns in four seasons. After sitting out most of the 2013 season, Harvin reminded the country of his explosiveness in the Super Bowl, scoring on a kickoff return. 

Even for newly on-boarded general managers, a 1-6 start with over $20 million in cap space is a dangerous situation for maintaining job security. The Jets were not in the middle of a rebuild—they were regressing. Badly. 

Idzik would have been forced to spend some serious cash next offseason both in a desperate attempt to save his job and to meet the NFL's salary-floor restrictions. 

It is too late to save the Jets' season, no matter how well Harvin performs for the Jets. This trade is more about 2015 than it is about 2014. The Jets gave up a conditional fourth- or a sixth-round selection for Harvin, according to the NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and the New York Daily News' Manish Mehta (h/t ProFootballTalk's Michael David Smith), respectively. In return, they're essentially getting a head start in free agency with the bonus of having him for the remaining nine games of the season. 

The Jets' playoff hopes are all but vanquished, but there is value to having Harvin in the building for a few months before the offseason starts. Harvin carries a shaky reputation as a high-maintenance character with anger issues. According to Bob Condotta and Jayson Jenks of The Seattle Times, Harvin gave then-teammate Golden Tate a black eye before the Super Bowl. 

The Jets will get a firsthand look as to exactly how far those issues extend, although they already have at least some data on Harvin's personality through their backup quarterback. 

The benefits to keeping Harvin on a nine-week trial are even more pronounced on the field. Quarterback Geno Smith now has a receiving corps to brag about with Harvin in the mix between Eric Decker and Jeremy Kerley.

Harvin's presence also alleviates the excuse of him no longer having the proper personnel to succeed. If Smith cannot produce under these conditions, the Jets will not need to waste any more time figuring out whether or not he is the future of the franchise. 

Either way, Harvin will either save Smith's career or expose him as a substandard quarterback; such intel is worth a midround draft choice by itself. 

What makes this "early free agent" theory work are the details in Harvin's contract. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Harvin is truly on a rental contract that the Jets could choose to pick up or drop after the season.

Like all roster moves in the NFL, there is a level of risk that comes with Harvin. Not only does he have a spotty history in the locker room, but he has an extensive medical history that has limited his potential on the field. He played in just three games last year, including the postseason. He had only played a full 16-game slate just once in his career (2011). 

There are two worst-case scenarios for the Jets: Either Harvin suffers yet another injury or becomes such a headache in the locker room that it somehow makes the Jets' disastrous season even longer than it has seemingly been, forcing them to cut ties with the receiver and enter the draft without one of their much-needed picks. 

Is he expensive? Extremely. Will he put the Jets in the playoffs? Absolutely not. But pulling the trigger on this deal was the most positive move Idzik has made since he drafted Sheldon Richardson in 2013. 

Harry How/Getty Images

Considering how poor the Jets' offensive personnel is and the potential upside Harvin has for a team starved for playmakers, Idzik would have been foolish to pass up this opportunity. 

If nothing else, adding a player of Harvin's caliber midseason gives the Jets something to feel good about for the first time since early September, as the losing culture was visibly wearing on Ryan and the Jets. 

This trade is somewhat of an admission of past mistakes for Idzik, as his thrifty philosophy in the offseason is the most profound reason as to why the Jets find themselves with a lost season before Halloween. Acquiring Harvin is the type of move that needed to be made back in March, but the fact that he finally made such an aggressive move may turn out to be a job-saving one.

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