Robert Saleh on John Franklin-Myers’ extension: ‘Those are the guys we want to pay’

The Jets signed defensive end John Franklin-Myers to a four-year contract extension that’s set to keep him in Florham Park through 2025.

Gang Green has locked up one of its better pass rushers.

The Jets inked John Franklin-Myers to a four-year, $55 million extension this week that guarantees the defensive end $30 million. It’s a great move by Joe Douglas and this New York front office to get the deal done now — if Franklin-Myers continued to dominate through the end of this season, re-signing him after 2021 could’ve been more expensive than it currently is.

JFM is a beneficial asset to a relatively strong Jets defense, and head coach Robert Saleh is certainly satisfied with the move.

Robert Saleh on the newly extended John Franklin-Myers:

"He's absolutely dominant at times. Those are the guys that we want to pay. JFM is deserving of it, and we couldn't be happier to have it done."

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— Ralph Vacchiano (@RalphVacchiano) October 8, 2021

“We felt like he would be a great fit for our system and what we ask out of our defensive line,” Saleh told the media Friday. “He has done nothing but work, work, work; he’s been a tremendous leader. And then you see his play on the football field — he’s absolutely dominant at times. The first play of overtime [against Tennessee last Sunday], he tackled Derrick Henry with a tight end’s back — it just shows some sure dominance. And he hasn’t even scratched the surface of where we think he can go within the system

“When you have guys who do things the right way; when you have guys who are leaders in the locker room and produce to his level…those are the guys we want to pay. JFM is deserving of it and we couldn’t be happier to have it done.”

The Jets are further investing a significant amount of money into the edge rusher position of their 4-3 defense — it’s safe to say they value this role. New York signed defensive end Carl Lawson to a three-year, $45 million contract this past offseason. Lawson is out for the year with a ruptured Achilles suffered during the preseason.

There’s a chance the Jets open the wallet for the defensive line once again after the conclusion of this current season. Quinnen Williams will be eligible for his inaugural contract extension ahead of the 2022 campaign and could figure to earn a decent chunk of change should he continue his strong play in 2021.

Follow Ryan Honey on Twitter: @RyanHoneyESNY

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