What Does the Injury Mean For Leon Washington's Future?

Leon Washington suffered a possible season ending injuring by breaking his right fibula in the first quarter of the Jets win against the Oakland Raiders (38-0). The injury was so bad that the emergency personnel did not want to risk complications so Leon did not fly back with the team. He currently is in surgery as I write this (October 25th, 8:15pm) to repair his leg.

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NFL Network insider Jason La Canfora reports Washington underwent surgery Sunday night and will remain in Oakland for at least a day, according to the Jets.

According to the team, Washington is not necessarily headed directly to injured reserve. The Jets consider Washington as out indefinitely, but he could perhaps return this season. They do not have an exact timetable on his return at this point, reports La Canfora.

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When my wife heard me talking about the injury, she (a Physician Assistant) told me that he’s in for a tough rehab. She said that most likely he’s going to have hardware inserted in his leg depending on where he broke it.

Leon broke he Fibula in his Right Leg in the 1st quarter against the Raiders.

What probably hurts more that the broken bone is the risk that Leon took by not signing a new contract and holding out this past summer. In an article this summer from The Daily News:

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Washington is entering the final year of his contract and is seeking $6 million a year. The Jets have leverage because the financial landscape has changed. If the league doesn’t adopt a new collective bargaining agreement by next March, Washington will be a restricted free agent in 2010, not unrestricted. In past years, a player needed only four years of service to be unrestricted.

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http://www.nyjetscap.com/salary.html

Leon took a large risk by holding out and now because of his injury, the Jets are not obligated to sign him at the end of the year and he could be on the short end of the stick. Sure you would like to see the organization do what’s right, but you have to remember that the NFL is a dog-eat-dog world and this is in fact a business.

Leon had this to say this summer about his contract:

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“I don’t feel confident that something will get done,” Washington said. “It kind of hurts me a little bit because I’ve been here three years, busting my tail off. I’ve played hard for the organization and for me not to get rewarded, or for me to be put in some type of situation, I’m not going to back down.”

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Leon’s agent is Alvin Keels and I just checked his Twitter account to see if there was reaction, but he hasn’t posted since yesterday. Search results show some fans showing their frustration towards Alvin. Some say Alvin mishandled Leon’s contract this summer.

This injury definately puts Leon’s future with the Jets in question. With the emergence of Rookie Running Back Shonn Greene today (144 Yards and 2 TDs), and the continued dominance so far by Thomas Jones, this puts additional pressure on Leon. Will the Jets sign him? Can Leon return to his old self?

Yes these are premature questions today, three hours after the injury, but none the less must be answered by the end of this year.

Here’s hoping all goes well for Leon. My prayers and thoughts go out to Leon and his family for a fast and speedy recovery.

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