The New York Jets added some veteran leadership on Wednesday, adding New Jersey native and Super Bowl champion Vinny Curry.
Vinny Curry is switching shades of green, but he won’t have to travel far.
The defensive end, set to enter his tenth NFL season, has been inked to a new deal with the New York Jets, the team announced on Wednesday.
Curry, a 32-year-old native of Neptune, NJ, returns to Garden State football after spending eight seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles. He will reunite with general manager Joe Douglas, who was part of Philadelphia’s front office during their run to Super Bowl 52.
From the man himself 🗣 pic.twitter.com/XLgXrmyHyf
— New York Jets (@nyjets) March 24, 2021
The one-year deal is worth $1.3 million with $1.075 of that base fully guaranteed, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Curry can earn up to $2 million in sack and playoff incentives.
The #Jets are giving veteran DE Vinny Curry a 1-year deal worth $1.3M base — with $1.075M fully guaranteed, source said. He has a chance to make an additional $700k with sack and playoff incentives. So 1 year, $2M max.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 24, 2021
Curry has earned 194 tackles (including 32.5 sacks) during his first nine professional seasons, which included a one-year stop in Tampa Bay (2018) sandwiched by separate tenures with the Eagles.
He earned 16 tackles and 10 quarterback pressures last season in 11 games (three starts) last season. His career-best campaign came in 2014 when he tallied nine sacks.
During his time in Philadelphia, Curry was a disruptive prescience in a 4-3 defense overseen by coordinator Jim Schwartz. New head coach Robert Saleh and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich have each utilized the system in their respective prior stops in San Francisco and Atlanta.
As a former Super Bowl champion, Curry is also a rare Jet with postseason experience. He will likely be a veteran mentor to a young group headlined by 2019 first-round pick Quinnen Williams.
Curry was previously a star for the Scarlet Fliers at Neptune High School in central New Jersey. He served as a team captain and won the team MVP award in his senior season of 2007 before winning the Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year Award at Marshall (2011).
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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One has to temper expectations given his age and how inexpensive the deal, but hopefully he contributes in a few key moments and helps us win a game or two.
Also hope they didn’t pay much more than this for Tevin Coleman.