?Brandon Marshall, New York Jets Divorce Behind Him, Where Will He Sign?

Brandon Marshall’s New York Jets tenure is at an end.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter first reported yesterday via Twitter that the 32-year-old former Pro Bowl wide receive would be cut from the team he has called home for the past two seasons.

And now the Jets are releasing WR Brandon Marshall, per sources.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 3, 2017

During the Brandon Marshall / New York Jets marriage, the receiver accumulated 168 catches for 2,290 yards and 17 touchdowns, a team-best for the period, while missing just one game.

Sadly, the majority of those stats were accumulated during his first season with the Jets two years ago.

This past NFL season, Brandon’s numbers fell to just three scores on 59 catches and 788 yards, allowing the former Broncos’, Dolphins’, and Bears’ star to fall behind third-year Jet Quincy Enunwa. Enunwa, last season, had 58 receptions for 857 yards and four touchdowns, with most NFL experts believing his numbers will continue to grow with time.

Another factor that likely contributed to the Brandon Marshall / New York Jets divorce was that the fact that the Jets can save $7.5 million off of their cap if the team lets Brandon go prior to the start of NFL’s free agency period on March 9.

Of course, the $1.9 million in “dead” salary the Jets still have to pay Marshall could make him attractive for a number of teams. Once that period begins, that is when the real questions will likely start for Marshall.

NFC East Landing Spot?

With at least half of the NFC East in need of a talent upgrade at wide receiver, some feel that Marshall would best be served to try to initiate a bidding war between the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Giants, in particular, could be a desirable landing spot for Brandon Marshall, whose New York Jets share MetLife Stadium. As such, Marshall would be able to upgrade his team — being slotted opposite Odell Beckham and catching passes from Eli Manning — while only having to move his locker a few yards away.

This rumor comes from the New York Daily News, which noted that “Eli Manning needs a big receiver and Brandon Marshall needs a new home in New York.”

Traveling down the New Jersey Turnpike, Philadelphia Eagles’ fans are hopeful that the team will be able to finally draft or sign a replacement for DeSean Jackson (cut by former head coach Chip Kelly three years ago) and Jeremy Maclin (lost in free agency two years ago) in order to assist second-year quarterback Carson Wentz.

While the Eagles have been linked in separate rumors to both Brandin Cooks (per CSN Philly) and a returning DeSean Jackson (according to Forbes), the idea of signing him to a deal does not seem out of the realm of possibility either.

And Brandon Marshall’s New York Jets would no doubt be thrilled to see him land in a different division.

Baltimore Ravens

Most feel that Brandon Marshall’s New York Jets success could easily be shifted a few hours south to Baltimore, where the team is no doubt reeling from the retirement of wide receiver Steve Smith.

As the Baltimore Sun recently noted, Brandon, despite some past off-the-field issues, “fits the mold of the type of ‘complementary’ wide receiver that… the Ravens are looking for, and the type of player the Ravens have had success in adding.”

San Francisco 49ers

Some also feel that Marshall could get a strong offer from San Francisco. The Niners — which are expected to lose Colin Kaepernick’s salary from their coffers in addition to starting over in the aftermath of the Chip Kelly era — could, as the Niner Noise blog recently noted “absolutely bite.”

“Money won’t be a factor for San Francisco,” the blog continued. “But the production expected could be.”

And for Brandon Marshall, a fresh start on a new team could be exactly what it takes to make the Jets regret their decision.

[Featured Image by Elsa/Getty Images]