Not even the long-snapper was safe -- a long-snapper who, by the team's own admission, was flawless over seven years.
Tanner Purdum, the longest-tenured player on the New York Jets, was released Saturday. The move wasn't a surprise, but it's newsworthy because it was another example of a massive roster purge that began several months ago.
Purdum, 31, was the last link to the Jets' last playoff team from 2010. He played with them from 2010 to 2016, never missing a game -- a streak of 112 games. According to the Jets' website, he never was charged with an errant snap or a penalty in seven years.
So he was pretty good at his job -- and yet he's out of a job.
This was another case of getting younger and cheaper. Presumably, the Jets will go with rookie Thomas Hennessy, whom they acquired last week in a trade with the Indianapolis Colts. They had been exploring the long-snapper market for months, finally settling on Hennessy, who attended Duke and Don Bosco Prep in New Jersey. Hennessy snapped in the preseason finale and didn't have any hiccups.
Purdum was due to make $900,000 in base pay (he already pocketed an $80,000 signing bonus); Hennessy will make $465,000.
With Purdum gone, the Jets have only three players in the 30-and-up category -- quarterback Josh McCown (38), nose tackle Steve McLendon (31) and running back Matt Forte (31).
