Chris Ivory is back with the New Orleans Saints, but maybe not for long.
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The team announced that the restricted free-agent running back signed his one-year, $2.023 million tender Friday, following a flirtation with the New York Jets that still continues.
Now that New Orleans has Ivory on the roster, the Jets are in pursuit mode, with Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reporting Friday that Gang Green has made an offer for the 25-year-old.
Mehta reports the Jets never considered giving up a second-round pick in this year's draft by signing Ivory as an RFA. But Jets general manager John Idzik reportedly is intrigued enough to part ways with a lower-round pick. ESPN's Rich Cimini believes a deal is "likely to happen" and that New York would "gladly do it for a fifth-rounder."
NFL.com's Ian Rapoport also reported last week that Ivory shared a mutual interest in becoming a Jet.
The Jets need more firepower at running back than what Mike Goodson, Bilal Powell and Joe McKnight can offer, but landing Ivory boils down to what New York is willing to give up. The Saints reportedly want nothing less than a fourth-round selection in return. We'll keep an eye on this.
Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.
