December football means two things for Jets fans: Rooting for losses to maximize Draft position and evaluating which players deserve to be invited back to next summer’s training camp.
Maybe one of these coming years we’ll be able to focus on more conventional concepts like the state of the playoff race or, heaven forbid, the possibility of a home playoff game that comes with capturing the AFC East crown. Alas, it’s been 14 years since New York’s last postseason appearance, the longest such drought in all of the four major pro sports leagues, with just one winning season in the interim. The Jets are the envy of cats everywhere, constantly playing out strings.
This debacle of a season, which began with some of the gullible predicting the team would reach the heights of a Super Bowl berth and then quickly devolved to the point where both the Head Coach and General Manager got canned in season, has five more games before fans can care about what happens to it again. Despite the Jets’ 3-9 record, however, the remaining games do matter to players looking for their next contract or those on deals without guarantees for next season.
So in lieu of writing about Sunday’s tilt in Miami, it’s time to take an early peak at who are keepers for the future, and who should be thrown out with the proverbial bath water, starting with the offense (all salary cap figures courtesy of overthecap.com):
Quarterbacks:
Keep: Tyrod Taylor, Jordan Travis
Release: Aaron Rodgers
See the many prior posts where I lay out why it makes no financial or football sense to give the 41-year old Rodgers another whirl. It wouldn’t be shocking if Taylor, who will turn 36 next summer and has an affordable $6.8 million cap hit, was calling signals on Opening Day 2025 while the organization transitions to a new QB of the future. I doubt it will be Travis, New York’s 2024 fifth round pick who has sat all year with an ankle injury he suffered in college. However, he’ll get a look next preseason.
Running backs:
Keep: Breece Hall, Braelon Allen, Isaiah Davis, Kene Nwangwu (FA)
Release: None
The Jets are fortunate here in that the unit contains three guys on rookie contracts and a player just elevated from the practice squad who ran back a kickoff and forced a fumble on a Seattle return on Sunday. It will get more expensive soon enough when Hall seeks an extension, though this might not be the wisest offseason to make such a demand after posting relatively disappointing production numbers—he’s not going to be able to set a top of the market for his position by ranking 10th in the league in yards from scrimmage while tied for the lead among RBs in fumbles.
Wide receivers:
Keep: Garrett Wilson, Malachi Corley, Xavier Gipson, Irvin Charles (FA)
Release: Davante Adams, Allen Lazard, Malik Taylor (FA)
I wouldn’t be averse to seeing Adams back in a Jets uniform without his buddy Rodgers next season—he’s still really good. But with a scheduled $35.64 base salary for 2025 (not guaranteed) and his likely desire to play for a team with a chance at contending, it’s not going to happen. The most likely scenario will be that the Jets cut him and eat the dead money cap hits (in addition to the sunk cost of a third round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft from the October trade with Las Vegas). The Jets will need that money—as well as the $11 million cap savings from cutting Lazard—to pay Wilson’s possible extension and reinforcements. For whatever reason, the Jets are still high on Gipson, giving him two kick return opportunities for some reason after Nwangwu took one to the house, despite his second-worst ranking among the 107 NFL receivers with at least 10 targets in yards per route run, according to ProFootballFocus.com. At least he’s relatively cheap, with one more year at about $1 million on his deal. Charles has had a couple of major gaffes, but he’s a special teams stud and should be re-signed. As for real WRs to complement Wilson next season, it’ll be back to the drawing board.
Tight ends:
Keep: Tyler Conklin (FA), Jeremy Ruckert, Kenny Yeboah (FA)
Release: None
Conklin would have to be convinced to stay, but, A) It’s not like he’d be entering the market coming off a strong year—he’s on pace for his worst production numbers since 2020, by a lot, and B) Who else do the Jets have at the position? Ruckert has been a zero in both the passing game and with his allegedly expert run blocking this season. As for Yeboah, he’s another one of those Jets who I think will be gone after every season, only the Jets keep seeing something in him to warrant bringing him back.
Offensive line:
Keep: Olu Fashanu, John Simpson, Joe Tippmann, Alijah Vera-Tucker, Morgan Moses (FA), Xavier Newman (FA), Max Mitchell, Carter Warren
Release: Tyron Smith (FA), Jake Hanson (FA), Wes Schweitzer (FA), Connor McGovern (FA)
Of the current starting five, only Moses will need to be re-signed. He’s been a true pro and would be worth it. Backup tackles Mitchell and Warren will have to earn roster spots next season as the benefactor who drafted them is no longer around. Vera-Tucker could see his approximately $15.3 million fifth-year salary reworked as part of an extension. The Jets seem to be high on Newman’s potential to develop. Smith and Hanson have been terrible and Schweitzer can’t stay on the field. McGovern, who returned to New York after being waived by New Orleans last month, could end up with a training camp invite to compete for a depth spot on the interior since no one else seems to want him.
Like with other position groups, there really isn’t a need for a major personnel overhaul. The Jets do have a bunch of good players, but they have been so poorly coached that the offense in totality often looks like a giant pile of trash. The screwups have run the gamut, from killer penalties to missed blocks to dropped balls. And, of course, there have been the numerous poor reads and missed throws by the future Hall of Fame quarterback. Outside of a new QB, the offense’s biggest offseason needs are probably a WR2 and maybe another TE or tackle should the current starters bolt.
The hope remains that one of these days, the Jets will feature a competent offense.
Next week: The Defense
Prediction: Dolphins 32 Jets 17