If Only QB Was Jets’ Sole Need This Offseason
Crazy how quickly things change in the NFL.
It wasn’t even a year ago when the Jets were puffing their chests in touting their “Championship roster.” The basis was that if Aaron Rodgers recovered from the prior year’s Achilles surgery to give them merely competent quarterback play, the sky was the limit, right?
Those presumptions turned out to be complete fallacies, as the Jets went through one of their All-Time underachievements in their tortured history, going 5-12. Fast forward to the brink of the 2025 offseason and New York is back to square one.
Or worse, because not only are the Jets once again in dire need of a starting QB, the holes around the rest of the lineup are so pervasive that it will take more than one offseason to fill them. There’s only so much money available under the salary cap and so many Draft picks thanks to the prior regime’s go-for-it-and-screw-the-future mentality.
The final calculations won’t be determined until after the new guys (General Manager Darren Mougey and Head Coach Aaron Glenn) clean up the mess from the contracts for Rodgers and his clan plus all the void years for players who will be long gone, but the 2025 dead money cap hit promises to be astronomical, even when accounting for the $35 million punt into the following season for Rodgers’ post-June 1 release designation. The Draft capital tab on the trades for Rodgers and wide receiver buddy Davante Adams: Second round picks in 2023 and 2024, a 2025 third rounder, a 2023 sixth rounder, and a 2023 first-round swap of two slots.
Ugh. The Jets sure could use that upcoming third-round pick, for their departure list is lengthy and management will be hard-pressed to find replacements in what is always an overrated free agent market. And if you think you see someone now the Jets can obtain, wait until after the tags are assigned and the typical activity that occurs to prevent them from being available.
When looking at the non-QB positions below that appear to be vacant, I didn’t include those like linebacker where I think there’s a good chance the team will retain the free agent starter (Jamien Sherwood) or the perennial training camp audition for a kicker. Here are the main ones that require immediate attention:
1) Wide receiver
With Adams and Allen Lazard likely following Rodgers on the cut list, that would leave New York with Garrett Wilson and….um. Malachi Corley, the so-called “YAC King” for whom prior General Manager Joe Douglas traded up to select in the 2024 third round, could barely get on the field even after the season was long gone. We know Xavier Gipson isn’t the answer either despite the love he received from the old coaching staff. Don’t count on the Jets to be among the early bidders for the cream of the free agent WR crop. Hey, they can give a call to Mike Williams once the Rodgers cut is official.
2) Defensive tackle
If there was one move from last year that I knew would blow up in the Jets’ face, it was the Javon Kinlaw signing. The Michael Clemons hybrid experiment to replace John Franklin-Myers was a massive fail as well. Not having a dependable partner on the interior contributed to Quinnen Williams’ down year. Douglas unnecessarily wrecked what was once the team’s pride and joy, an unforgivable sin. The only other remaining tackles under contract are development guys like Leonard Taylor. Expect this to be a priority.
3) Cornerback
While Sauce Gardner has one spot nailed down and Michael Carter is signed to man the slot, D.J. Reed had one foot out the door before the gun sounded on the season finale. Brandin Echols, Reed’s primary backup, is also a free agent. An average starter could easily cost $10 million per year, so bringing Echols back might be the safest, though not the most effective, play. No matter how the starter is addressed, CB depth will be a major concern.
4) Offensive tackle
At least the Jets won’t be looking for three or four starting linemen this offseason. Assuming Morgan Moses bolts in free agency, it’s pretty much right tackle and a couple of backups across the line. Max Mitchell and Carter Warren no longer have the GM who drafted them in their corner, so change might be in the air. The free agent pickings are slim—Pro Football Focus has 2024 Jets bust Tyron Smith as the third-best available tackle—so I could see the Jets using a high pick to fill this need.