New York Jets general manager Joe Douglas continues his quietly strong offseason by bringing back a pair of linebackers at bargain prices.
Looks like the New York Jets will be bringing a few of their linebackers back in 2020.
On Monday afternoon, Adam Schefter reported that the Jets are going to re-sign inside linebacker James Burgess to a one-year deal.
Free-agent linebacker James Burgess is signing back with the Jets on a one-year deal, per @RosenhausSports.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 23, 2020
Nobody has broken the price yet, but considering the Jets non-tendered Burgess, it’s likely incredibly low. With that said, it’s very possible that Burgess is signing for the veteran minimum.
Burgess started 10 games for the Jets in 2019. He replaced Blake Cashman after he suffered a season-ending injury. Burgess was decent in emergency action, recording 80 tackles with eight tackles for loss, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, one interception, and only a 10.1% missed tackle percentage.
Burgess also excelled in special teams. He was a solid all-around player for the Jets and will likely serve as a backup again in 2020.
Just minutes after the Burgess signing broke, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reported that the Jets were closing in on re-signing Jordan Jenkins. A few hours later, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported that Jenkins was inking a one-year contract worth $5 million.
Source: Jets are closing in on a deal with OLB Jordan Jenkins.
A big move for NYJ to bring back their sack leader from last year. https://t.co/1BMmaexhnl
— Manish Mehta (@MMehtaSports) March 23, 2020
The #Jets are re-signing OLB Jordan Jenkins on a 1-year deal worth $5M, source said. After a career-high in sacks, he’s back at the table next year.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 23, 2020
Jenkins was one of the Jets’ top free agents. He was the team’s best edge rusher in both 2018 and 2019. Jenkins has 15 sacks in the last two years. Even more impressive is that his sack total has improved in each of the last four seasons. Jenkins is also a strong edge setter in the run game.
He’s a bargain at a $5 million price tag. That’s backup edge rusher money, and Joe Douglas signed a solid starter. Fans should commend the general manager for sticking to his guns and waiting out Jenkins at such a low price.
It also shouldn’t be understated how much of an impact Gregg Williams has had on free agency. He attracts defensive players back to the team because they love playing for him. That’s a strong indicator of a great leader.
With him entrenched at defensive coordinator and a slew of talented players on the roster, the Jets are likely set to have a top-10 defense for a second straight year.
