Laveranues Coles back to the Jets? ... nah

The Bengals hoped Laveranues Coles would be a suitable replacement for departing free agent receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh. But Coles, who signed a four-year, $28 million deal with the Bengals after forcing his way out of his existing contract with the Jets, turned out to be a dud in 2009, catching only 43 passes for 514 yards and five touchdowns.

Not surprisingly, the Bengals dumped him in yesterday's NFL-wide salary purge.

Now Coles (pictured in his Jets days with Brett Favre) is saying he'd like to finish his career where it started: with the Jets.

Coles was a third-round pick in 2000, and enjoyed a solid run with the Jets before being traded to Washington and then traded back to the Jets. But at 32 and well beyond his prime, the Jets ought to take a pass on this one.

Not that the Jets can't use some receiver help to complement starters Jerricho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards. But Coles isn't the right guy. He's a possession receiver, just like Cotchery, only Cotchery is way better. Besides, with a young quarterback in Mark Sanchez, the Jets need to find younger receivers with whom he can build a rapport over the years.

Coles isn't that guy.

"I didn't fit into the [Bengals] offense at all," Coles told the Star-Ledger Thursday. "[Quarterback] Carson [Palmer] wasn't comfortable with me. He likes tall receivers. He told the coaches he wasn't comfortable throwing to me."

Coles then told the paper the Jets "will be the first team we call to see if they're interested." 

The answer the Jets should deliver: no thanks.