One of the best free agents left standing in the NFL market this offseason is linebacker Dont’a Hightower, who has spent his entire career with the New England Patriots. Hightower is visiting a number of teams during his free agency, and while visiting the New York Jets on Sunday, Hightower was surprised with birthday cupcakes by the team.
Yes – birthday cupcakes for a 27-year old. Here’s the ESPN report about the visit, which contains information provided by Adam Schefter on Monday..
“They sent his mother Jets merchandise, the brought him out to dinner last night and had cupcakes given to him on his birthday. They had ‘Happy Birthday Dont’a Hightower’ on all the screens inside the Jets training facility,” Schefter relayed.
So the Jets believe that the way to Hightower’s heart isn’t money, or the possibility of another championship, but instead, birthday cupcakes and dinner?
Hightower played in 13 games or the Patriots last season, recording a total of 65 tackles and 2.5 sacks. Over his five season career, Hightower has totaled 17 sacks and won Super Bowls XLIX and LI with New England.
Is he going to wind up staying in the AFC East and inking a deal with the Jets? Maybe! Here’s what Schefter had to say about that.
“There is a major snowstorm moving in, and there’s a question as to whether Dont’a Hightower is going to get out of there,” Schefter said on the program. “We’re waiting to see if he actually makes the trip. The Patriots are in the background. The Jets’ interest is real and legitimate. I think if they come [close] financially, he’s going to consider going to play for the New York Jets. But the Pittsburgh Steelers also want to bring them into their building and have him visit with them. So Dont’a Hightower’s situation is fluid while the Patriots await an answer from him.”
In other words, “if the money is close, he has to consider it”. That doesn’t sound very likely, to me. The Jets do have plenty of cap room to sign Hightower, but would he really be chomping at the bit to leave the defending Super Bowl (and AFC East) champions to head to a team that went 5-11 in 2016?
[ESPN]
Instead of birthday cupcakes they could of tried a new head coach who know what the hell he was doing. You cannot possibly think he would go from steak to chopped liver