Jets more than happy to give Percy Harvin fresh start

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — When Percy Harvin stepped into his new boss' office, he thought he would have to explain his past and all the rumors that came with it — fistfights in the locker room, whispers of questionable effort and friction with teammates among them.

But Harvin was wrong. Rex Ryan didn't want to hear about it.

"What's in the past is in the past," was the message Harvin said he received from his new head coach when he arrived to the New York Jets training facility over the weekend after being traded from the Seattle Seahawks.

"Just do the best you can, and we'll judge you from here."

It may be a fresh start for Harvin. The details, however, are impossible to ignore. He's now with his third team in 19 months, and he can't simply escape the damning details of his reputation. After Harvin's abrupt departure from the Seahawks, despite their significant investment to obtain him from the Minnesota Vikings last year, questions confront the Jets about whether the gifted but seemingly troubled player can become a consistent contributor on the field and in the locker room.

Speaking to reporters Monday for the first time since the deal, Harvin faced questions about brawls with former Seahawks teammates Golden Tate and Doug Baldwin. Harvin confirmed that there was an "incident" but declined to elaborate, though he did say he reached out to Tate and Baldwin and that all "moved forward" from the episode.

Both Ryan and Jets general manager John Idzik said they will not impose a set of specific guidelines they expect Harvin to abide by with the Jets. Instead, both said the team's policy for all players applies to their newest acquisition.

"I've talked to a lot of management, and they've told me to come in and be myself," said Harvin, who was on the practice field Monday.

"I'm familiar with a lot of faces here. A lot of the guys know me, have a feel for me already. I'm having a blast in the days I've been here, so I don't think it's going to be a problem."

Idzik was quickly asked if he was concerned that Harvin could blossom into a disruption.

"Right now, no," he answered.

That the Seahawks cut ties with Harvin so quickly — they sent three draft picks, including a first-rounder, to Minnesota in order to obtain him in March, 2013 before signing him to a six-year, $67 million contract — illustrates how the franchise's perception of him changed significantly.

And whatever issues Harvin may have had in the Seattle locker room, there's no denying his production wasn't commensurate with his salary.

Hip surgery and subsequent complications caused him to miss every regular-season game in 2013 except one. A concussion prevented him appearing in the NFC Championship Game.

He'll long be remembered in Seattle for his 87-yard kickoff return for a touchdown that helped seal Super Bowl XLVIII. But healthy this year, Harvin had only logged 225 yards and one touchdown from scrimmage through five games with Seattle (though he did have three TDs negated by penalties in a win over the Washington Redskins on Oct. 6).

Harvin said he didn't request the trade but acknowledged that he grew frustrated over his lack of production with the Seahawks.

"Not that I didn't like what I was doing, I just wanted to do a little bit more," he said. "As a receiver, you want to get downfield just a little bit more than I was doing. It was a cause of frustration, a little bit, but that was that. I'm good."

Harvin discredited a report that he removed himself from Seattle's Week 6 loss to the Dallas Cowboys and stressed that he has "not one" issue with Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson. He later added that he holds "no ill will" against his former team.

But the evidence remains. Either the Jets looked past it or felt comfortable enough about Harvin — their offense can certainly use his talent — to ignore any warning signs.

"I have a little bit of added knowledge in Seattle, knowing everyone that was involved from players, to coaches, to management, to medical staff — I know them very well," said Idzik, who spent six seasons in the Seahawks front office. "And you understand the circumstances to the best of your ability. But really, it's about how Percy is going to play and act here as a Jet.

"We're in a people business. You don't know for sure until you get them on your campus, in your team, in your locker room to see how they're going to respond. And all the talks that I had and the research that we did lead us to believe that we're confident in Percy being a real contributor to the Jets, not only as a player, but in the locker room as well."

Idzik deemed the trade "a potential coup." But for that to materialize, a lot has to happen. The Jets are stuck in a six-game losing streak and have serious concerns on their 26th-ranked offense, where quarterback Geno Smith has struggled.

However the team can also move on fairly easily from Harvin if it chooses since there would be no salary cap implications if they cut him after the season.

"Everybody makes mistakes," Ryan said. "Some things just don't work in some places, and in other places, they seem to work fine.

"We'll see how it goes."

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Follow Lorenzo Reyes on Twitter @Lorenzo_G_Reyes