In 2006, New York Jets Head coach Eric Mangini put pass rusher John Abraham on the trade table in an attempt to aquire Atlanta Falcons backup quarterback Matt Schaub.
“We tried like hell to get him,” Mangini said recently in a phone interview.
The negotiations turned contentious. Eventually, the Jets traded Abraham to the Falcons for the 29th pick in the draft, which Atlanta acquired from the Denver Broncos. The Jets used the pick to draft Nick Mangold after trying unsuccessfully to deal it to the San Diego Chargers for running back Michael Turner — another little-known fact, Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork reports.
The Jets saw those qualities way back when, long before Schaub was on the league’s radar — another what-if story for a franchise that has plenty of them. In 1983, it passed on a guy named Dan Marino.
