The story of the 2008 New York Jets with Kerry Rhodes (Part 3): Chad Pennington’s goodbye

07/20/2020

Kerry Rhodes, Chad Pennington — Jet X Graphic, Getty Images

The story of the 2008 New York Jets with Kerry Rhodes hits the stage when the organization said its goodbyes to Chad Pennington.

New York Jets star wide receiver Laveranues Coles got an unexpected knock on his hotel room door at 4 a.m. ET the morning of Aug. 7, 2008. It was from Chad Pennington, who was there to inform his best friend that he had just been released from his Jets contract.

Two and a half hours later, pro bowl fullback Tony Richardson would receive the same news from Pennington via text.

But before the Jets would officially announce the release of Pennington, they were ready to tell the world all about their bold move to land one of the NFL’s all-time great quarterbacks.

“We just felt like this was an opportunity to go get somebody of Brett’s stature and what he’s accomplished,” Tannenbaum said during a conference call following the Brett Favre acquisition early Thursday morning. “We felt it was in the best interest of the team and when the opportunity presented itself, we felt it was the right move for us to make and we went ahead and did it.”

The announcement of Pennington’s release came shortly thereafter, with the Jets steadfastly insisting the move was bittersweet.

***This is Part 3 of an extended series (for subscribers only) on the 2008 New York Jets, featuring exclusive quotes from Kerry Rhodes and featuring an audio documentary with Rhodes at its conclusion.

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