By Brad Engel
Naperville North alumnus Justin McCareins agreed to the terms of a one-year contract with Tennessee on Wednesday.
This short-term deal indicates it's do-or-die for the 6-foot-2, 215-pound wide receiver, who only two weeks ago, got released from the final three years of a seven-year deal with the New York Jets.
With all that time on the bench over the last two years in New York -- McCareins made only 13 starts -- it seems there should still be plenty of life left in his legs and career.
"From your lips to God's ears, I hope he does," said McCareins' agent Cliff Brady. "He's only 29, so you would think he would have another four, maybe five, years left."
McCareins posted career highs in yards receiving (813), yards per catch (17.3) and touchdowns (seven) with the Titans in 2003. The following year with the Jets, he posted a personal-best 56 receptions.
Actually, in two years under then-head coach Herm Edwards, McCareins flourished. He started 32 games for the Jets and recorded nearly 100 catches and 1,500 yards. It wasn't until Eric Mangini replaced Edwards in 2006 that McCareins lost his starting position.
"Ever since Mangini got with the Jets, he's been kind of in the doghouse, never really got out," Brady said. "So it's been a tough two years, and this will be a great opportunity to get back in the mix."
Overall for his career, McCareins has 210 catches for 3,264 yards and 17 touchdowns.
Under the right leadership -- once again from Titans coach Jeff Fisher -- is the sky the limit for McCareins?
I have no doubt that he has plenty of life left in him and he should excel once back with the Titans. It's an offense he knows and likes. Mangini didn't know what to do with him and practically wrote him off completely after he dropped that TD pass against the Ravens. Seems to me that everybody gains from this deal. The Titans never should've traded him in the first place, even if they were overloaded with receivers at the time.