Brandon Marshall, one of the most physically gifted and imposing wide receivers in the NFL over the last decade has been cut by his second New York football team in two years.
So a late-career renaissance, which seemed promising in 2015, when Marshall was the best receiver on a 10-6 Jets squad ends down the hall at MetLife Stadium -- this time released by the Giants after failing a physical. A little over two years ago, Marshall and Eric Decker combined for the most potent pass-catching duo in Jets history, only to see it all fall apart for Gang Green in 2016, leaving Marshall to look for a new football home.
And he found one without leaving the Big Apple, or even the Meadowlands, swapping Gang Green for Big Blue. Marshall was supposed to augment the transcendent talents of Odell Beckham Jr, in the twin roles of mentor and chain-moving possession receiver. Then he got hurt before it all began. So did Beckham a few weeks later. But Beckham is 25 years old, while Marshall just turned 34. And the man once nicknamed "Blackjack" for catching 21 passes in one game, just went bust.
MORE: Giants Release Brandon Marshall
Marshall made sure we knew there was more to the man than his numbers. While baseball may have been built on the back of its characters, the NFL is all about quiet character, with a way of muting personalities for the greater good of the brand. But Marshall wanted you to see under his helmet, to view the glory and the gory. For all his obvious physical talent, Marshall endured his share of torment, finding his name in unsavory places beyond the sports page. After some legal troubles spawned by a turbulent temper off the field, Marshall got himself some help, discovered he suffered from borderline personality disorder, and became an emblem of mental illness awareness.
Since Marshall is such an impressive presence, a rather large wideout even by NFL standards, we likely projected impossible qualities upon him. Just because you look so naturally good, it doesn't mean the laws of nature don't apply. And the truth is Marshall hasn't been a high-end wide receiver since that enchanted '15 season, when he caught 109 passes, for 1,502 yards, and 14 touchdowns, making him one of five Jets to be named to the Pro Bowl.
But just as that Jets team - the only NFL club that year with a winning record not to make the playoffs - fell painfully short of the finish line, so it seemed, did Marshall. It's hard to think of a better player who never won a single playoff game, and Marshall never even played in one, making that Jets team his de facto curtain call. In his final two seasons, Marshall combined for just 78 catches and three touchdowns.
Maybe for his next job Marshall still won't have to leave town. He flashed enough forethought in New York City to kickstart his media career as a regular on Showtime's "Inside the NFL." He may be old by NFL metrics, but as a budding analyst, Marshall is almost as natural in a suit he was in a uniform. Handsome, articulate, and unusually self-aware, Marshall would slide seamlessly into a TV studio, and should be the object of many networks' affections.
If this is it for Marshall's NFL career - and there's little to suggest otherwise - he has pieced together a career that should at least be considered for Canton. Should he retire today, Marshall would leave the game with 959 receptions, 12,215 yards, and 82 TD - probably short of sporting that gold jacket, but at least inserts his name and game into the conversation.
And though we may not see Brandon Marshall on a gridiron again, we surely will see plenty of him in the future, in one of the many hats he wore so well.
Follow Jason on Twitter at @JasonKeidel
