The New York Jets could’ve been tempted to go after Julius Thomas. But in the end, it was better that they didn’t.
The New York Jets should learn from the mistakes of others. Products of Peyton Manning never work out, right?Well, the Jets currently have a former Manning castoff in Eric Decker. Albeit, he did prove himself while playing with a left handed bible thumper in Tim Tebow.
The latest face that runs the place, Julius Thomas, once the highest paid tight end in the league, just got traded for a conditional seventh.
Why didn’t the Jets jump all over this talented prospect? Well, it’s because it wouldn’t matter.
Has a lack of talent been an issue at the position? Sure it has. But the real issue is lack of targets to that position.
The Jets dodged the first bullet in Thomas (a season ago). They should make like The Matrix and backwards dodge the rest of them. This includes Martellus Bennett. While, on the surface, it would make sense to take away one of your rivals best weapons, it would be simply shooting blanks.
The Jets would be better served grabbing some cost-effective options at the position. Guys such as Jack Doyle, Luke Wilson, Jordan Cameron or Gavin Escobar.
Younger guys who are entering those second or in some cases third contracts who are looking to prove something are just what this organization is thirsting for. The Jets have a ton of needs and need to utilize their funds accurately and effectively.
Throwing money at the position isn’t going to suddenly make the Jets viable at the position. It’s going to take effort: this team must get the tight end involved. Over the last two years, the Jets have been the least effective at the position across the league. While breaking franchise records for all the wrong reasons.
John Morton, “the new” New York Jets offensive coordinator, is reportedly going to run a west coast system. In theory, that offense should feature the tight end position. A tight end can help plug a lot of holes for the Jets. A security blanket would probably divert some of the senseless turnovers the Jets seem to give out like books under chairs on an episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show.
Getting back to the player at hand, while reports have suggested that the his contract was reduced per agreement of the trade, there’s not much that can be restructured.
According to Spotrac, there’s still $13 million left in dead money on the deal, while the rest of the contract averages north of $8 million each season.
The Jets can’t afford an expensive reclamation project. There are also a nice variety of options coming out in this year’s draft. So lets get our prirorities straight people: QB, OL, CB, edge rusher, then TE. In that order, if the Jets heed this, well, they might just end that playoff drought in 2017.
