Updated, 10:50 p.m. ET
Chris Ivory is officially a New York Jet.
After days of speculation, Ivory has been traded tonight to the Jets from New Orleans for the Jets' fourth-round pick, 106th overall, of this draft, which the Saints will exercise Saturday afternoon. The Jets still have fifth-, sixth- and seventh-round picks in tomorrow's final day of the draft.
Ivory, 25, is entering his fourth NFL season after having played in 24 games with the Saints from 2010-12. He has rushed 256 times for 1,307 yards, garnering a 5.1 average per carry with eight touchdowns.
"We feel we've added a quality player," general manager John Idzik said tonight after the third round of the draft had concluded. "He's very physical, a violent runner, he's got size and speed, he plays with an attitude.
"I think you've seen that in the players we've drafted the last few days. You're going to feel it in our locker room, you're going to feel it on our practice fields. It's a very healthy element that Chris brings to us."
A Longview, Texas, native, Ivory was signed by New Orleans in 2009 as an undrafted free agent. The 6'0", 222-pounder began his collegiate career at Washington State. Following his junior season, he was dismissed for violating team rules. He transferred to Tiffin, a Division II school in Ohio, where he played in five games before suffering a knee injury that ended his collegiate career.
His top performance as a pro took place during Week 6 of his rookie season when New Orleans battled NFC South foe Tampa Bay. He rushed 15 times for a career-high 158 yards as the Saints picked up a 31-6 victory. The 158 rushing yards were the most by a Saints RB since Deuce McAllister rushed for 165 yards in a 2003 game, and the most by a New Orleans rookie since a 179-yard effort by Ricky Williams in 1999. Ivory's outstanding production earned him Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week and FedEx Ground Player of the Week honors.
Later in the same season, he rushed for 117 yards on 15 carries in a 34-30 win over Cincinnati. With primary RBs Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas sidelined a significant portion of 2010 due to injuries, Ivory finished his first year as New Orleans' top rusher, carrying the ball 137 times for 716 yards (5.2 yards per carry) and five TDs.
While Ivory has put up some impressive numbers on the ground, he has only three career receptions and has played in just 12 games over the last two seasons. He was last on a crowded Saints backfield depth chart behind Darren Sproles, Mark Ingram and Thomas.
Now in a new home, Ivory could be a strong addition to the Jets' running back corps in 2013. The unit, which lost starting RB Shonn Greene early in free agency, today consists of returnees Bilal Powell, Joe McKnight and John Griffin as well as free agent Mike Goodson (formerly with the Raiders) and Ivory.
