The New York Jets are starting to work on re-signing some of their in-house free agents. Plus would the Jets dare kick the tires on a Super Bowl MVP in Nick Foles?
The New York Jets have 15 players currently destined for free agency in March. Certainly, not all of them will return for the 2018 season, but several will.
While the team possesses a boatload of cap space and could decide to use some of it to prevent their in-house free agents from leaving, who would they keep?
Well, it appears like they’ve started to make some waves on that front, as they’ve been talking with three players already, per ESPN’s Rich Cimini:
Winters was coming off rotator-cuff surgery and felt that would compromise his bargaining position on the open market. He felt the Jets' offer was too good to pass up, so he figured, why wait? Talks have begun w/those 3; now it's a negotiating game. https://t.co/hlguw551su
— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) February 3, 2018
Those “other three?” Cornerback Morris Claiborne, linebacker Demario Davis and tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins.
Claiborne will be one of the top corners on the market but he won’t be alone. That list will also include some other big names like Malcolm Butler and Trumaine Johnson. We all know the Jets need corner help, but it won’t come cheap.
For example, Over The Cap reveals that the top-five corners in football are paid anywhere from $14 to $17 million per season. Extrapolate that over multiple seasons and huge guaranteed money and we’re talking some of the biggest contracts in football.
Davis, who many believe deserved Pro Bowl honors this season, is a player the Jets absolutely cannot afford to let leave. Not only is he terrific on the field, but he’s one of the most respected leaders in the locker room.
Keeping Seferian-Jenkins could be tricky, as he’s assuredly looking for a big payday now that he’s put his off-field issues behind him and is coming off a career-best season. Still, as previously mentioned, the Jets have plenty of cap space to get all three under contract.
But that poses another question: Do they fill all their needs in free agency or will they look to the NFL Draft for help?
As it stands, Wide Receiver & Defensive Back are the strongest & deepest positions in 2018 Free Agency Class. O-Line is horrific. D-Line is okay. https://t.co/OzyAXUXaEm
— Evan Silva (@evansilva) February 6, 2018
While the draft is certainly an enticing way to go, it’s not my ideal method. I’ve always followed the belief that you fill as many holes as possible in free agency and then when the draft rolls around, you have the flexibility to go for the best player available.
Speaking of best player available, who is the best quarterback available?
Again the diatribe of free agency and the draft rears its’ ugly head. Both have their pros and cons, but the free agency pool theorizes that whatever quarterback you pick can help you win now.
That could be the case if the Jets decided to acquire Super Bowl 52 MVP Nick Foles this offseason. He currently has one-year left on his deal for a smooth $7 million, but if you trade a premium asset for a guy, it won’t be as a rental.
So on top of trading some assets, you’ll also have to marry the guy for a few years as well. My gut tells me to avoid Foles like the black plague because the Philadelphia Eagles are only going to trade him if an offer blows their socks off. The Jets shouldn’t be the team that fulfills their fantasy. They have enough holes to fill as it is. The Foles experiment isn’t worth what it’ll cost.
Other Jets News, Stories:
- Syracuse WR Steve Ishmael snubbed from NFL Combine (Boy Green from Inside the Loud House).
- Todd McShay’s latest mock draft: Josh Allen to Jets (Rich Cimini of ESPN New York).
- Jets sign Cousins and make playoffs next year? (Dan Graziano of ESPN).
