Rex Ryan praises Braylon Edwards

Despite a report about the Jets organization feeling wide receiver Braylon Edwards was a diva, Rex Ryan certianly didn't have that opinion.

"Braylon Edwards, in my opinion, was a tremendous Jet," Ryan said this afternoon. "I would have loved to have him. And trust me, if the price was right for us to make it work, he would have still been here. Braylon was a tremendous blocker for us. He was a good teammate. Maybe someone else in the organization had a different view on him, but those were my views." 

The Jets made signing Santonio Holmes the focus, giving him a five-year deal, and then added Plaxico Burress to the wide receiving corps. Edwards caught 53 passes for 904 yards and seven TDs and had nine catches for 164 yards with a TD in the postseason last year.  

"It was a myriad of factors," general manager Mike Tannenbaum said of letting Edwards go. "Santonio obviously was the priority. We felt his skill set was dynamic, game-changing, and the priority."

Tannenbaum said he spoke with Edwards on Saturday.

"He was with us for two years and we went to the championship game for two years," Tannenbaum said. "I put his tape up in the running game with anybody. What he did in the passing game speaks for itself. When you sign Santonio Holmes, it’s not saying you don’t like Braylon Edwards. It’s just saying the economic and football decisions have to be prioritized. I told him privately and I’ll say it publicly I am proud to say that we traded for him."