FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Dont'a Hightower is one of the NFL's best blitzing linebackers, and during his free-agent visit to the New York Jets on Sunday, the organization showed how serious it is in courting him by unleashing a birthday blitz.
On the day Hightower was celebrating his 27th birthday, the Jets pulled out all the stops, as ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter explained during Monday's edition of NFL Insiders.
"They sent his mother Jets merchandise, the brought him out to dinner last night and had cupcakes given to him on his birthday. They had 'Happy Birthday Dont'a Hightower' on all the screens inside the Jets training facility," Schefter relayed.
Hightower's visit was set to conclude Monday, according to Schefter, before he was scheduled to fly to Pittsburgh Monday night to meet with the Steelers.
"There is a major snowstorm moving in, and there's a question as to whether Dont'a Hightower is going to get out of there," Schefter said on the program. "We're waiting to see if he actually makes the trip. The Patriots are in the background. The Jets' interest is real and legitimate. I think if they come [close] financially, he's going to consider going to play for the New York Jets. But the Pittsburgh Steelers also want to bring them into their building and have him visit with them. So Dont'a Hightower's situation is fluid while the Patriots await an answer from him."
