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According to a tweet from Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News, Jets GM John Idzik has not ruled out re-signing 30-year-old wide receiver Braylon Edwards. Per Mehta, Idzik stated,  “Guys like that will be under consideration as we go forward, for sure.”

Taking off my New England Patriots fan cap and pretending to be a Jets guy, I would be all for the Jets re-signing Braylon Edwards. From a rival perspective, Edwards would come at an extremely cheap price, and he has a great rapport with Mark Sanchez. That connection is valuable, and Edwards brings some production to the table that is valuable when looking at his price tag. Even if Geno Smith or even David Garrard ends up starting for the New York Jets, keeping Edwards would still be a good move for the Jets.

Although Ramses Barden caught just 14 passes for 220 yards last season for the New York Giants, he has the frame (6’6″, 224 pounds) and ability to make an impact for the Jets wide receiver corps. According to Mike Garafolo of the USA Today, the Jets have “had conversations” with Giants free agent wideout Ramses Barden and notes that Idzik stated that the Jets are not done adding players to the skill positions.

It is pretty obvious that the Jets could use some more help at the wide receiver position, and I wonder where they will get it from. I could see them pulling in both Edwards and Barden if Barden’s asking price is to their liking, but Edwards should be the bigger priority for them of the two wideouts. The Jets should go for Edwards due to his low price tag and familiarity with the team. I wonder if Barden will receive a significant amount of interest now that the draft is over and the second waive of free agency hits, and it will be interesting to see if anything becomes of the talks between the Jets and Barden.

Although there hasn’t been much news on the Giants interest in keeping Barden on the team, I would still think the Giants are in play to keep Barden based on the reports from last month.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.

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Anyway, Patriots fans breathed something of a sigh of relief yesterday, as Giants beat writer Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News reported that Edelman was not offered a contract after the two-day visit. Per Vacchiano, Edelman is “pondering” his options.

The Patriots present the best opportunity for Edelman to receive playing time, because the wide receiver situation in New England is far less crowded than in New York. He wouldn’t start in the slot with either team, and Edelman really isn’t a slot receiver anyway. His versatility makes him a wideout who should play outside and inside (more on the outside) and run a mix of short, intermediate, and a few deep routes.

As of right now, the Pats seem to be in the better position to give Edelman a bigger pay day. I would think the only reason why he would go to the Giants is for financial reasons, so it will be interesting to see what the Giants offer. Maybe, he didn’t receive a contract because the Giants don’t want to give him what he wants. In the end, I think Edelman’s versatility at WR and on returns will end up in him re-signing with the New England Patriots. The fact that he broke both his hand and foot (the latter landed him on the injured reserve) lats season likely made him far less attractive to a number of teams.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.

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Edelman has had a very lukewarm free agent market this offseason, because this is the first time we have heard a report actually linking a team to Edelman. Otherwise, everything else has been strong speculation pointed towards the Patriots re-signing Edelman.

Although the Giants will surely give Edelman a run for his money, I think Edelman’s best option is to stay in New England. The Giants situation at wide receiver is actually more settled at this point, and I don’t think he would receive the same amount of playing time in New York as he would in New England. The Giants are just looking for more depth at receiver, whereas Edelman would receive more playing time in Foxboro with significantly less depth at the wide receiver position.

It is also important to note that Edelman will not start in the slot at either spot, so it’s all about playing time and money. I think the Patriots are in the best position to give Edelman more playing time, and he would receive about the same money from either team. Edelman has value to the Pats as a wideout and as a returner, and they would love to keep him. The fact that he broke his hand and foot (injured reserve) last season has made his free agent market cool, and I think it’s best for Edelman to stay with the Patriots since continuity is also important.

However, the Giants have about as good of a chance at signing Edelman, which is something I would not like to see.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.