Sad news for us Vernon Gholston fans out of ESPN New York:
As for Gholston, the Jets waited three years for him to show something — anything — but their patience went unrewarded and they finally said goodbye to a disappointing draft bust.
Gholston, chosen sixth overall in the 2008 draft, went three seasons without a sack. It became apparent during the playoffs that the Jets were ready to move on, as Gholston was inactive for all three games.
In three years, Gholston played in 45 games, including five starts, producing only 32 total tackles. He made $21 million in guarantees from his rookie contract, which breaks down to $636,000 per tackle.
That’s sad in and of itself (the whole draft bust thing) but what really gets me is this little tidbit:
Gholston had a $9 million escalator clause in his contract for one sack or forced fumble or fumble recovery, but never got it.
OUCH.
So who knows where the man-beast will land next. Hopefully he has received some good advice for managing his money and it will be interesting to see if another team will take a chance on the freak of nature.
But as for us MotSaGers, well, we’ll always have this. (And I’ll always have Northwestern)
Chad Henne still occasionally wakes up at 2 am in a cold sweat, so he’s got that going for him.
Yes, he most certainly does. Jake Long checks his closet for Gholstonmonsters before he goes to bed at night.
It would have been nice if the Jets played Gholston at his actually position, instead of moving him around from spot to spot. I think he will do well in a stable system with someone who knows how to coach young guys.
@Mark – I totally agree, being put in a OLB situation was not his thing and I don’t think he ever really had a mentor to work him through the transition.
I’ve also heard reports that his mind was never fully “into it.” I’ve heard that he’s struggled with his calling in life, whether to continue to play football or to become a preacher. That could explain some of his motivation issues.