AFC East Notes: Dolphins, Jets, Patriots

Dolphins

Dolphins CB Xavien Howard says he’s seen his name come up as a possible trade candidate, but he wants to prove he’s No. 1 cornerback in the NFL. 

“I seen that. No, the trade rumors do not bother me,” Howard said, via ESPN.com. “It is what it is. It’s a business. Be prepared for it. Wherever I go, it don’t matter; I’m still going to be busting my butt.”

Howard added that he “most definitely” would like to return to the Dolphins. 

“Most definitely,” Howard said. “It’s the team that drafted me, and I feel like I gave them my all there, man. I want to stay there. I want to be a franchise player there.”

Jets

Jets S Jamal Adams mentioned that he’s hoping to convince free agent RB Le’Veon Bell to sign with New York this offseason. 

“I’ll tell you this: We’re hoping we can grab him,” Adams said, via Brian Costello of the New York Post.

Adams said he met with Bell’s agent Adisa Bakari last week in Orlando at the Pro Bowl, but not Bell.

“Obviously, we’re young,” Adams said of the Jets. “Put it like this: We have a bright future, man. They understand that. They understand that we’re just missing a few pieces. As soon as we get that, I think we’ll be fine.”

Patriots

Patriots owner Robert Kraft mentioned it’s sad to see how things played out with WR Josh Gordon. 

“He was a real good guy, and there was a connection,” Kraft said, via NBC Sports Boston. “Unfortunately, people like that need mentoring at a young age, but when it becomes addiction, addiction is something that is way beyond our. . . . We gave him tremendous support on a daily basis, and he was worthy. But I think we as a society have to try to help these young people not to get addicted in the first place, and that’s the sad part of this. He’s a good guy — a really good guy. It makes us sad.”

“This wasn’t a troublemaker in the locker room,” Jonathan Kraft added. “That football locker room, especially in our place, you have to be somebody that’s smart, that’s committed to week-in and week-out understanding what’s going to be asked of you mentally as well as being willing to work physically and then being selfless. And that doesn’t describe everybody on every football team, and our team took to Josh very quickly because he had those attributes, and unfortunately he had some personal demons. . . .As a person and as a teammate, he was beloved in the locker room. And I’m sure if you ask guys this week, they would tell you they wish he was here with us. He was not a guy that was disruptive or a problem.”