Tony Dungy has doubts about Percy Harvin
Jets receiver Percy Harvin talks to the media at his locker after his first practice since his trade from Seattle in Florham Park, N.J., Monday, Oct. 20, 2014. Credit: AP / Rich Schultz
Tony Dungy thinks Rex Ryan is a good fit for newly signed Percy Harvin, but wonders whether the controversial wide receiver will work out with the Jets.
"There's probably not a better coach in the league for Percy Harvin to go play for than Rex Ryan," Dungy, the former Colts and Bucs coach, said on Tuesday's "Pro Football Talk" on NBCSN. "But I can tell you, the last two coaches he's played for -- Pete Carroll and Leslie Frazier -- if you can't play for those guys, there is a major problem."
The Seahawks, coached by Carroll, traded Harvin to the Jets on Friday. Frazier was the Vikings' coach when Minnesota traded Harvin to the Seahawks before the 2013 season.
"When you see someone as talented as Percy Harvin, and you have two teams that let him go, you realize that there are some problems there," Dungy said, calling the Seahawks' move to trade Harvin "not a difficult decision."
Former defensive end Jason Taylor, who played for Ryan's Jets in 2010, said the move could work out for the Jets if the locker room leadership is strong.
"The New York Jets locker room is an interesting place. It's unlike any other locker room in the NFL, it's a very unique situation," Taylor said on the show. "Playing for Rex Ryan could be a great thing for Percy Harvin. He's a very talented player. As long as you have leadership -- and I don't know about the leadership there [now], but as long as you have strong leadership and a strong head coach, you can make some of those personality differences work."
Taylor said Harvin "gives Geno Smith and that offense a weapon. It'll change the coverages of teams that play against him."
Former NFL offensive lineman Ross Tucker suggested Harvin won't be a locker-room distraction for the remainder of the season because the receiver will consider this his last chance at making big money in the NFL.
"The guaranteed money in his deal ends this year," Tucker said. "I'm quite sure that the Jets and his agent have made him aware that, 'If we cut you after this, you are never, I repeat, never getting close to this money again. This is your last shot to be getting that $10 million a year.' I don't know what his best behavior is, but the Jets are about to see it."
Bob Glauber retired in 2022 after covering the NFL for nearly 40 years. He was selected in 2021 for the Bill Nunn Career Achievement Award by the Pro Football Writers of America, and is a three-time winner of the New York State Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. President of the PFWA for the 2018-20 seasons, he is the author of “The Forgotten First” and “Guts and Genius.”
