A Practical Jets Free Agency Wish List
Franchise tags were placed on eight players on Tuesday, thereby certifying the pool of free agents that Jets General Manager Joe Douglas can target when the market opens next week.
With NFL free agency, of course, it’s always “Buyer Beware” because teams just don’t let core players walk out the door for nothing very often. Despite getting solid grades for his work at the time last offseason, Douglas didn’t get much bang for all the bucks he shelled out, mostly because injuries took out edge rusher Carl Lawson, safety Lamarcus Joyner, and linebacker Jarrad Davis for all or the vast majority of the season and wide receiver Corey Davis underperformed in his first shot as a WR1.
The year before was no better, though Douglas was more fiscally prudent when doling out offers. We hardly knew ye, Breshad Perriman and Pierre Desir, while we’ve seen way too much of Greg Van Roten. Douglas’ best 2020 bet was one for which he took some heat, signing tackle George Fant, then a reserve with Seattle, to a 3-year, $22.85 million contract. When prized left tackle Mekhi Becton went down with a season-ending injury in Week 1, Fant held down the fort fairly capably, with ProFootballFocus.com dinging him for just one sack allowed in 15 games.
Most top-of-the-line free agents tend to pass on the Jets as a destination—when you haven’t made the playoffs in over a decade and are coming off a 4-13 season, the money has to be outrageous, like when prior GM Mike Maccagnan bid against himself in offering exorbitant contracts to running back Le’Veon Bell and linebacker C.J. Mosley in 2019.
The next tier, though, still holds plenty of potential to help this club right away. Here are my top three targets:
1) Allen Robinson II (wide receiver)
Though Davante Adams (Packers) and Chris Godwin (Bucs) were tagged and Mike Williams (Chargers) extended, the receiver crop still has some capable free agent options, including Robinson, whom the Bears finally set free after tagging him in the 2021 offseason. That’s probably because he’s coming off the worst season of his career, as measured by PFF grades. Still, he’s expected to boast a bevy of suitors who recall his outstanding production as a big-play machine in the two prior seasons despite being cursed with playing with lousy quarterbacks. He has the size (6-foot 3) and hands (8 total drops in 463 targets over the last four seasons, per PFF) to win at both the line of scrimmage and the catch point. At 28, Robinson could be enticed by a longer-term deal with higher guarantees—it certainly won’t be this team’s proximity to Super Bowl contention or the prospect of playing with another young. undeveloped QB in Zach Wilson. Here’s hoping owner Woody Johnson signs off on loading up the truck for a playmaker this team hasn’t had since Brandon Marshall in 2015.
2) Quandre Diggs (safety)
Who knows what’s going on in Seattle these days, but I would be shocked if in the midst of a teardown they bid up for another safety when they’re already stuck with the sunk cost of Jamal Adams, thanks to Douglas. The Jets, meanwhile, are in dire need of a ball hawk and Diggs has registered five interceptions in each of the last two seasons to earn Pro Bowl distinctions. For comparison purposes, Marcus Maye, whom Diggs would replace at free safety, picked off six passes in his 60 games with Gang Green spanning five seasons. Like Maye, Diggs is coming off a major injury, having suffered a broken leg and dislocated in ankle in Week 18. The scuttlebutt, however, is that he’ll be ready for 2022 training camp. Diggs is a prototypical deep safety who rarely lined up in the box or rushed the passer for Seattle. As such, the Jets should be able to offer him a slight bump over the $10.6 million they paid Maye last season to be a player in the auction for his services and then pair him with a younger box safety, whether it’s Ashtyn Davis or a draft pick.
3) O.J. Howard (tight end)
Three of the top pending free agent tight ends were franchise tagged on Tuesday, so Douglas will have to dig a little to find value at a position that requires a major overhaul this offseason. He could do worse than land on Howard. It’s been quite a fall for the one-time Alabama star who some thought would go in the top ten of his 2017 Draft class. Injured and then marginalized in Tampa Bay, Howard could be a steal for Gang Green, depending on the final negotiated price. Oddly, the Bucs employed Howard more often as a run blocker than a receiver last season despite his strengths skewing heavily toward the latter. Wouldn’t it be nice if Wilson had a reliable big target in the middle of the field next season? Or would you rather the Jets run it back with Ryan Griffin and Tyler Kroft?