NYDN - A day after the Jets’ season came to a close in early January, Brandon Marshall stood at his locker in Florham Park and answered questions about his future in New York, including whether he’d be willing to take a pay cut to return to Gang Green in 2017.
“I’ll play for free,” Marshall said then when asked if he’d come back to the Jets for less money. “My bills are paid.”
The comments insinuated he would be open to restructuring his contract. But in a phone interview with the Daily News on Tuesday, Marshall clarified that’s not the case.
“I didn’t say I’ll take a pay cut,” Marshall said from Houston, where he’s working as the official social media correspondent for AT&T’s AUDIENCE Sports during Super Bowl week. “What I said was I love football so much that I would play football if my bills were paid. I wasn’t talking about the New York Jets, or any other team for that matter. I was talking about my love for the game, and how I’m at a point in my career, too, where it’s not about the money.”
Marshall is technically due $7.5 million next year in the final season of a three-year deal. But none of that money is guaranteed, meaning the Jets could clear all of it off the books by releasing Marshall this offseason.
Marshall has said repeatedly he isn’t worried about money at this stage of his career. He’s an 11-year veteran who’s never reached the postseason despite playing for four teams. Winning a Super Bowl before he retires is his clearly stated goal.
But it certainly doesn’t sound like Marshall is going to budge on his 2017 salary.
“I don’t know what you want me to tell you, brother. I’m under contract next year,” Marshall said when asked if he thinks he deserves the money currently included in his deal. “You’re not going to make news with me saying something about my contract. I know my worth. The NFL knows my worth. So I just want to play ball. It’s not about the money. …It’s not about the money. I want to win. That’s what it’s about.”
Marshall believes the talk about his future with the Jets has been “media-driven.”
“There’s never been a conversation between my agents and the Jets or me and the Jets about, ‘Hey, we’re going to release you’ or ‘We’re thinking about releasing you,’” Marshall said. “With that being said, I’m under contract and that’s the way I’m approaching it. So I know that I’m still a dominant, elite receiver that demands a lot of attention, and I’m going to continue to work my tail off to be better. There’s a lot of things that I haven’t accomplished in this league, and I want it. And hopefully it works out before my time’s up.”
Marshall finished 2016 with just 788 yards receiving and three touchdowns, his worst statistical season since he was a rookie in 2006. He was also at the center of locker room discord that gradually became public as the Jets’ disappointing 5-11 season wrapped up.
In particular, Marshall and defensive end Sheldon Richardson butted heads. A verbal disagreement between Marshall and Richardson after the Jets’ Week 3 loss to the Chiefs “left a dark cloud” over the team for the rest of the year, according to Darrelle Revis.
Additionally, wide receiver Quincy Enunwa said earlier this month that Marshall’s willingness to voice his opinion in the locker room frustrated some Jets players.
Marshall told The News Tuesday that he’s trying to move on from all the tension.
“It was such a toxic year, and it was hard on everyone. It was challenging for all of us, and the best thing to do is just move forward, and that’s what I’m going to do,” Marshall said. “Of course, there’s a lot of things that I would do differently, and that’s just life. You look at the journey. You try to figure out ways where you can always grow. Well, you should. If you’re not, then you’re not doing it the right way.”
Marshall has every intention of staying with the Jets and trying to be successful with the organization that traded for him two years ago.
“I know my teammates and I know people in this organization, and everyone’s passionate about winning, and winning the right way and winning now,” Marshall said. “So I believe in my guys.”
In his role as social media correspondent for AUDIENCE Sports, Marshall will be interviewing players and celebrities in Houston in the lead-up to the Super Bowl matchup between the Patriots and Falcons.
He'll also be attending and covering a number of parties this week, including the EA Sports Party and DIRECTV NOW Super Saturday Night with Taylor Swift at Club Nomadic.
“I’ll play for free,” Marshall said then when asked if he’d come back to the Jets for less money. “My bills are paid.”
The comments insinuated he would be open to restructuring his contract. But in a phone interview with the Daily News on Tuesday, Marshall clarified that’s not the case.
“I didn’t say I’ll take a pay cut,” Marshall said from Houston, where he’s working as the official social media correspondent for AT&T’s AUDIENCE Sports during Super Bowl week. “What I said was I love football so much that I would play football if my bills were paid. I wasn’t talking about the New York Jets, or any other team for that matter. I was talking about my love for the game, and how I’m at a point in my career, too, where it’s not about the money.”
Marshall is technically due $7.5 million next year in the final season of a three-year deal. But none of that money is guaranteed, meaning the Jets could clear all of it off the books by releasing Marshall this offseason.
Marshall has said repeatedly he isn’t worried about money at this stage of his career. He’s an 11-year veteran who’s never reached the postseason despite playing for four teams. Winning a Super Bowl before he retires is his clearly stated goal.
But it certainly doesn’t sound like Marshall is going to budge on his 2017 salary.
“I don’t know what you want me to tell you, brother. I’m under contract next year,” Marshall said when asked if he thinks he deserves the money currently included in his deal. “You’re not going to make news with me saying something about my contract. I know my worth. The NFL knows my worth. So I just want to play ball. It’s not about the money. …It’s not about the money. I want to win. That’s what it’s about.”
Marshall believes the talk about his future with the Jets has been “media-driven.”
“There’s never been a conversation between my agents and the Jets or me and the Jets about, ‘Hey, we’re going to release you’ or ‘We’re thinking about releasing you,’” Marshall said. “With that being said, I’m under contract and that’s the way I’m approaching it. So I know that I’m still a dominant, elite receiver that demands a lot of attention, and I’m going to continue to work my tail off to be better. There’s a lot of things that I haven’t accomplished in this league, and I want it. And hopefully it works out before my time’s up.”
Marshall finished 2016 with just 788 yards receiving and three touchdowns, his worst statistical season since he was a rookie in 2006. He was also at the center of locker room discord that gradually became public as the Jets’ disappointing 5-11 season wrapped up.
In particular, Marshall and defensive end Sheldon Richardson butted heads. A verbal disagreement between Marshall and Richardson after the Jets’ Week 3 loss to the Chiefs “left a dark cloud” over the team for the rest of the year, according to Darrelle Revis.
Additionally, wide receiver Quincy Enunwa said earlier this month that Marshall’s willingness to voice his opinion in the locker room frustrated some Jets players.
Marshall told The News Tuesday that he’s trying to move on from all the tension.
“It was such a toxic year, and it was hard on everyone. It was challenging for all of us, and the best thing to do is just move forward, and that’s what I’m going to do,” Marshall said. “Of course, there’s a lot of things that I would do differently, and that’s just life. You look at the journey. You try to figure out ways where you can always grow. Well, you should. If you’re not, then you’re not doing it the right way.”
Marshall has every intention of staying with the Jets and trying to be successful with the organization that traded for him two years ago.
“I know my teammates and I know people in this organization, and everyone’s passionate about winning, and winning the right way and winning now,” Marshall said. “So I believe in my guys.”
In his role as social media correspondent for AUDIENCE Sports, Marshall will be interviewing players and celebrities in Houston in the lead-up to the Super Bowl matchup between the Patriots and Falcons.
He'll also be attending and covering a number of parties this week, including the EA Sports Party and DIRECTV NOW Super Saturday Night with Taylor Swift at Club Nomadic.
