John Idzik says the Jets have done plenty of background work on Percy Harvin.
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The Jets added the playmaking of Percy Harvin Friday, but they brought questions on themselves as well.
When healthy, Harvin gives the Jets a speedy and elusive component in the return game and someone who can be a downfield threat in the passing offense. In many ways, he is the ultimate wrinkle in the offense, even if he was sporadically used this past season in Seattle.
“Not that I didn’t like what I was doing, I just wanted to do a little bit more as a receiver,” Harvin said. “I wanted to get down the field, just a little bit more, than I was doing. That definitely caused frustration, a little bit. But that was then, and I’m here now. You can put a lot of different things to the numbers. That was one of the key things; that was what drove some of the frustration. At the same time, it is what it is. I’ve moved on from it.”
At times, he’s been his own worst enemy.
New York is Harvin’s third stop and second trade in six years in the league. There are character concerns that come along as baggage for his crosscontinental flight, but there’s no denying he brings something special to a bland Jets offense.
“Pure and simple, bringing a player like Percy is to help our offense,” general manager John Idzik said on Monday. “He’s an explosive player, a dynamic player. I think he can help our offense. I think you’ve seen our offense can have its moments where we can move the ball, where we can sustain drives. I think you can bring a player like Percy in it can help everybody.”
The move for Harvin began early last week with what Idzik called “substantive” talks with Seahawks. Momentum picked up after the Jets’ Thursday night loss at the Patriots. Given Idzik spent the previous five years with the Seahawks before he became the Jets general manager last January, there is a comfort level for the organization.
“We did a ton of background. As always, we do our due diligence in our player acquisitions and it was no different in this case,” Idzik said. “I know a ton of people in Seattle very closely so I guess I had that advantage too. We had forthright conversations about Percy and what happened there. I decided it was prudent to move forward.”
Follow Jets beat writer Kristian Dyer on Twitter @KristianRDyer.
