Confessions Of A Suffering Jets Fan: Free Agency Dud (So Far)
Recapping what has been an underwhelming start to the NFL Tampering Period...
Welcome to the first Confessions Of A Suffering Jets Fan of the offseason!
I felt re-launching this feature a day after the start of NFL Free Agency was the perfect strategy.
Okay, so quick note, technically Free Agency doesn’t begin until the new league year commences on Wednesday so we’re in the NFL Tampering Period right now but, whatever, you know what I mean.
However, I didn’t count on New York Jets General Manager Joe Douglas to be asleep while nearly every other team in football made blockbuster splashes on what was a crazy first day of NFL Free Agency.
Veteran QB Kirk Cousins signed a four-year, $180 million deal with the Falcons. By the way, $100 million of that is guaranteed. Cousins is a pretty good football player, but he’s a damn great businessman.
RB Saquon Barkley left the Giants to sign with fierce rivals the Eagles, penning a three-year, $37.75 million contract.
Talking of the Giants, they recovered pretty quickly from the gut-punch of losing their homegrown running back by trading for Brian Burns, one of the premium pass rushers in the NFL. Oh, and New York only had to give up second and fifth-round picks in the 2024 Draft in order to make the deal work, before signing the two-time Pro Bowler to a five-year, $150 million deal. What a day for the G-Men.
The Packers were ultra-aggressive on Day 1 of Free Agency, signing former Raiders RB Josh Jacobs to a four-year, $48 million deal and former Giant S Xavier McKinney to a four-year, $68 million contract.
As for the Jets, well, Joe Douglas decided to nap throughout most of the craziness before eventually waking up and conducting some minor business before Day 1 was over.
Here’s what the Jets have done in Free Agency up until this point:
QB Tyrod Taylor - Two-year deal worth up to $18 million
OL John Simpson - Two-year deal worth up to $18 million
CB Isaiah Oliver - One-year deal
K Greg Zuerlein - Re-signed on a two-year, $8.4 million deal
S Chuck Clark - One-year deal
TE Kenny Yeboah - One-year deal
DT Javon Kinlaw - One-year deal worth $7.25 million
DT Leki Fotu
Now, some needs were filled but it was a pretty underwhelming showing by Douglas, who really should be on the clock as it pertains to his job heading into the 2024 season.
I’m going to get into why, in addition to breaking down exactly what the Jets did and didn’t do on Day 1 (and some of Day 2) of NFL Free Agency, below by slicing everything up into different sections based on my overall feeling on what has gone down so far.
The ‘I Feel Okay About This I Guess’ Section
Okay, so it took Joe Douglas a while to actually get up from his nap, pick up the phone and do anything on Monday, and he still has a hell of a lot of work to do.
However, he did make a couple of smart-ish moves on Day 1, so I will give him some credit for that.
Firstly, one of the huge needs the Jets needed to address this offseason was a backup QB after the disaster that unfolded during the 2023 season. With failed 2021 No. 2 overall pick Zach Wilson all but out of the building, a veteran backup to sit behind Aaron Rodgers was way up on the front office’s priority list. They checked that off on Monday by signing Tyrod Taylor, who spent the last couple of seasons with the Giants.
Now, personally, I would have preferred Ryan Tannehill, especially given that Taylor has hardly proved durable throughout his career. However, Taylor is a clear upgrade on the backup situation from last year. I mean, if Rodgers were to miss a game or two in 2024, then I feel much better having Taylor in there then I would Wilson or, shudder, Tim Boyle. Man, the 2023 season is still giving me vivid nightmares.
And, on the plus side, Taylor had the 2nd-highest deep throw percentage of QBs with at least 25 deep attempts and the 14th-best completion percentage in 2023. Furthermore, among the 41 quarterbacks with at least 200 plays last season, Taylor ranked 23rd in expected points added per play, 25th in success rate, and fifth in completion percentage over expected.
Look, the Jets couldn’t afford to whiff on the backup quarterback position again and, by signing Taylor, they’ve avoided that pitfall.
There wasn’t a lot else good about the first couple of days of Free Agency, but re-signing Greg Zuerlein was important. The veteran kicker was money in 2023, making five of six 50+ yard field goals. He is also the all-time single-season franchise leader in field goals made (35) and field goal percentage (.921).
Guard John Simpson looks like he has some upside and will bolster a depleted, hot mess of an offensive line, while Javon Kinlaw and Leki Fotu adds some depth on the defensive side of the ball. Hardly overwhelming moves, though, and that leads us nicely into our next couple of sections…
The ‘I Really Don’t Like This / Falling Asleep At The Wheel’ Section
Joe Douglas has proved throughout his five years on the job in New York that he’s not going to embark on a coffee-induced rampage early in Free Agency. He’s just not going to spend big money on the open market.
We all knew this going in. Therefore, what has happened thus far really shouldn’t shock anyone.
However, let me offer up a small caveat here; Joe Douglas is fighting for his job and sleeping through most of Day 1 of Free Agency wasn’t a good look.
It was just a bad optic and no amount of lipstick on a pig will change my mind on that.
After an absolute car crash of a 2023 season, Douglas has a lot to prove and he should have come out swinging in Free Agency. Instead, he let an important player at a premier position walk (more on that shortly) and failed to really bolster the offense in any kind of tangible way.
Again, signing Tyrod Taylor as the backup QB was an important move, and there were some solid depth additions made. However, I would have loved to have seen Douglas come out and address several key needs all at once, including signing a legit offensive weapon at WR to pair with Garrett Wilson and making a big splash to considerably strengthen a worrying weakness in the offensive line.
You have to be willing to pay premium money for the premium positions, and being cheap and aiming for the second-wave of free agents isn’t the required strategy when you are all in to win now with a 40-year-old quarterback.
If this is Douglas fighting for his job then, man, I hate to think what not scratching and clawing for his job looks like.
The Jets really could have made a bold statement on Monday but, instead, they’re now going to be feeding on scraps and it remains to be seen if this roster will be considerably improved by the end of it.
The ‘What The F Was That?!’ Section
There is no doubt that the Philadelphia Eagles were ultra aggressive once Free Agency began. They gave a monster deal to RB Saquon Barkley, and they also gave a three-year, $51.1 million contract to Bryce Huff.
Huff, of course, was the undrafted free agent who morphed into an absolute stud at edge rusher for the Jets. The 25-year-old was one of the biggest bright spots for this team in 2023, finishing as the team’s sack leader with 10. Huff’s 21.8% pressure rate ranked tops among all edge rushers in 2023 (minimum 200 pass rushes) per NFL Next Gen Stats.
The fact that Douglas let Huff walk out of the door for nothing is bordering on franchise malfeasances . It just is. The defense is the very identity of this Jets team, and you’ve just allowed a key piece of that very same defense to get away.
Now, the reason the Jets did this is twofold. Firstly, the organization obviously believes that Will McDonald IV - the No. 15 overall pick in 2023 - will step up and replace Huff’s production and become an even more important player. Well, after a hardly inspiring rookie year, you best hope that McDonald transforms into the player you think he will be. Else, the decision to let Huff go will look even more stupid.
Secondly, Douglas clearly wanted to spend that money elsewhere and address other needs. Well, after two days of Free Agency, the Jets have yet to sign another elite offensive weapon or bolster the offensive line. So, again, if the money that didn’t go towards re-signing Huff isn’t put towards correcting either of those two fatal flaws then what the hell are we doing here?!
The fact the Jets were not pro-active enough in trying to re-sign Huff before Free Agency speaks to just how dumb this organization can be sometimes. Furthermore, this is a team that is in win-now mode so the failure to retain its best edge rusher hardly fills me with confidence going forward.
Again, what the f were you doing, Douglas?!
The ‘I Do Have Some Hope If This Happens’ Section
Okay, time for some positives. The new league year officially starts on Wednesday, which means that we could see some more activity with the Jets. We hope, anyway.
There are some notable names still left on the board, including: WR Calvin Ridley, OT Tyron Smith, WR Josh Reynolds, WR Odell Beckham Jr. and OT Jonah Williams. The Jets could also look to swing a deal for WR Tee Higgins from the Bengals if they really want to double down on being all in to win now.
However, the name I’m keeping an eye on in the immediate future is veteran T David Bakhtiari. One of the premier tackles of his generation, Bakhtiari was crucial to Aaron Rodgers’ success in Green Bay and I would be shocked if the two don’t reunite in New York. After all, Bakhtiari would address a very real need at left tackle and he knows how Rodgers operates. Sure, the 32-year-old has played in a grand total of just 13 games across the last three seasons, while he is still dealing with the complications of a torn ACL.
It does speak to Bakhtiari’s dominance and greatness that in his one game in 2023, he didn’t allow a pressure, sack, hurry or hit on QB Jordan Love. Even on one leg, Bakhtiari is still an elite tackle who can get the job done at a high level. Furthermore, the veteran still made the Associated Press All-Pro First Team in 2020, despite playing in just 12 games. That’s how damn good he is.
If the Jets are able to sign the three-time Pro Bowler to a team-friendly deal, then I just think it makes too much sense. And I’m sure Rodgers is pushing hard behind the scenes to get Bakhtiari to sign in New York.
Overall, with Free Agency officially beginning on Wednesday, I hold out hope the Jets are able to get another high-end wide receiver and some legit help for that offensive line before the week is out. If they don’t, then my already negative feelings about the 2024 season will only increase. Tenfold.
The ‘Please Get Me Off This Freaking Planet’ Section
So, we took an unwanted break from normal Free Agency programming on Tuesday and were swiftly reminded that we live in batcrap crazy times.
According to The New York Times, Jets QB Aaron Rodgers is among the leading candidates to become Robert F. Kennedy Jr’s running mate on an independent presidential ticket in November.
Yes, you really are reading that right.
When I was reading this, and while trying to pick my jaw up off the floor in the process, I thought what a shame that the iconic Curb Your Enthusiasm is ending, because this really does have all the makings of a hallmark future Curb episode. Maybe Larry David will be inspired to bring the show back for a one-off special to help mark this latest weird chapter in Rodgers’ relationship with the Jets.
I have nothing more to add - I mean, what else can you add to that - other than there really is going to be a slew of books written about Rodgers’ time in New York. Batcrap crazy doesn’t do it justice, and we’re only a year in.
Man. What a world we live in.
I will hopefully be back with another edition of ‘Confessions of a suffering Jets Fan’ by the end of the week, depending on whether or not Joe Douglas actually wakes up and does anything noteworthy.
We will see…