Percy Harvin is settling into his new gig with the New York Jets and said he wants to put the past behind him.
Speaking to the New York media for his first time Monday, the wide receiver admitted his deployment in Seattle was the cause of frustration.
"It definitely was," Harvin said, per NFL Media's Albert Breer. "... I wanted to get downfield a little bit more."
Harvin caught the majority of his passes at or behind the line of scrimmage this season and was used in an array of jet sweeps in the ground game.
The wideout denied that he refused to re-enter the Cowboys' game -- his last one in Seattle. NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported Sunday the final straw for the Seahawks came when Harvin didn't go back in versus Dallas and feared he'd shut down if not involved in the offense.
As for the off-field issues, including getting into a fight with Golden Tate before the Super Bowl and a scuffle with Doug Baldwin this preseason, Harvin said he had no issues with his former teammates.
"I have no ill will with that team," he said.
Harvin added that he does not have anger management issues, which was one reported reason the Seahawks, and Minnesota Vikings before, parted ways with the playmaker.
"All I can say is for people to judge me off what you see," he said about his past.
Michael Vick, the Jets' backup QB, knows a lot about trying to rehab one's reputation. He and Harvin are both from Virginia, and Vick tells Breer he and his new teammate developed an instant connection.
"It's all about going about your work the right way, and getting it done," Vick said Monday. "Understanding what's most important, and making the right decisions at the right times, and doing it when things are quiet. I think Percy's definitely capable of that. Like I said, we got that connection, I feel like I've known him forever."
Harvin said the Jets aren't worried about his past. When he tried to explain some of the issues, "they told me to be quiet," he said, per Newsday's Kimberley Martin.
"It's about moving forward," Rex Ryan responded when asked if he needed to hear Harvin explain past actions.
The wideout also said he loves his new coach.
"I love him. Love him, love him," he said.
How the Jets deploy Harvin and whether he's productive for Ryan remains to be seen.
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