The New York Jets are facing the consequences of being guided by a win-now mentality for the last two seasons before officially giving up on the Aaron Rodgers experiment. The team has a number of players hitting free agency this offseason after they were handed short term deals aimed at getting New York over the hump and delivering the organization’s first championship since Joe Namath made good on his famous/cursed guarantee following the 1968 season (spoiler alert: the Jets did not win a championship).
As it turns out, the strategy failed and the Jets did not win the second championship in franchise history. Now the team is expected to lose key players on both sides of the ball this offseason to free agency.
When you factor in the cuts New York is likely to make, including Aaron Rodgers, Davante Adams, Allen Lazard, Greg Zuerlein, Michael Clemons and, sadly, C.J. Mosley, the Jets are looking at a tremendous amount of turnover in Aaron Glenn’s first season as head coach.
Additionally, the team is limited in its ability to re-sign players or find free agent replacements as the salary cap suffered due to the organization’s ill fated win-now strategy. The Jets are in the bottom third of the league in available cap space with around $20 million to spend, according to Over the Cap. That figure will increase with the plethora of cuts the team is expected to make. But either way, new GM Darren Mougey is facing a difficult situation.
That said, there are always options. Assuming New York isn’t planning to undergo a full-on tank job in Aaron Glenn’s first season at the helm in an attempt to land Arch Manning in the 2026 draft (Misery for Manning? Underachieve for Arch?), the Jets can make some crafty decisions that put the team in a position to eke out a respectable showing while the organization builds for the future.
Of course, that’s the last thing Jets fans were hoping to hear after being told the team is just a quarterback away from competing for a title – and then giving up two second-round picks for Aaron Rodgers, which resulted in five total wins. That’s a rate of one second rounder for every 2.5 wins!
Nonetheless, here we are. Neck deep in another rebuild and searching for the team’s first franchise quarterback in 57 years.
Defense: Paulson Adebo and Jamien Sherwood
So Rodgers and all his pals are gone, for better or worse, creating the need for a quarterback and at least one receiver opposite Garrett Wilson. But we’ll address the defense first here.
As discussed, cuts are necessary to create salary cap space and the Jets are expected to let D.J Reed, Solomon Thomas, Javon Kinlaw, and Haason Reddick walk in free agency. Those losses will force New York to address the secondary and defensive line in the draft and with sneaky, short term signings.
First and foremost, the Jets must look in-house and make re-signing breakout linebacker Jamien Sherwood a priority for the team. New York selected Sherwood in the fifth round of the 2021 draft. He was considered a developmental project as the team planned to convert him from safety to linebacker. In 2024, Sherwood got his shot, leading the NFL with 98 tackles while filling in for an injured Mosley.
The Jets have a wretched history when it comes to signing players the team drafted to second contracts. Sherwood should be a rare exception. Despite four years in the NFL, he’s just 25 years old. With a projected market value of $7.2 million a year, per Spotrac, the Jets need to keep Sherwood in New York. Pairing him with strongside linebacker Quincy Williams would give the team one of the strongest LB duos in the league.
For this exercise, let’s assume the Jets retain safeties Tony Adams and Chuck Clark on reasonable, short term deals while adding depth to the position in the draft, which is considered very strong at the position. However, even in that best case scenario, the secondary is still expected to take a massive hit with the departure of D.J. Reed.
Reed was largely overshadowed during his three-year tenure with the Jets due to the emergence of 2022 first-round draft pick Sauce Gardner. Yet while Gardner drew the accolades, Reed more than held his own, often dealing with the lion’s share of passes as opposing quarterbacks chose to target him in coverage in an effort to avoid Sauce.
Now Reed wants out of New York and he’ll be the premier cornerback on the free agent market. Reed is projected to command around $15 million a year from his next team. The Jets can’t afford to keep him around, especially considering the team is going to have to pay the 2022 draft class, which includes Gardner, Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall.
So, New York needs to find a corner to work opposite Gardner in 2025. Yes, the upcoming draft offers several strong options at the position. But the Jets should address their need at cornerback via free agency.
New York has a couple options here. Carlton Davis is an obvious choice due to his connection to former Detroit Lions defensive coordinator and new Jets head coach Aaron Glenn. Davis played one season in Detroit under Glenn but his campaign was cut short after a fractured jaw ended his year.
Davis was in the midst of a solid season with 56 total tackles, two interceptions and 11 passes defended. However, injuries have been an issue for the seven-year veteran as he’s never played more than 14 games in any season and he’s missed 20 games over the last four seasons. And while those injuries will bring his salary down a bit he’s still expected to command nearly $14 million annually, which likely puts him out of the Jets’ reach.
Rather than Davis, New York should sign Paulson Adebo. The New Orleans Saints’ 2021 third round draft pick also had his 2024 season cut short due to injury. However, he was on his way to a career year before breaking his leg in Week 7. The previous season Adebo racked up 76 tackles, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, four interceptions and 18 passes defended in 15 games. He had 52 total tackles, three picks and 10 deflected passes in just seven games last year.
Adebo will turn 26 at the start of the 2025 season and is just entering his prime. And because he’s coming off an injury-shorted campaign, the Jets have an opportunity to land the budding star at a relative bargain. His market value is anticipated to be a two-year, $22.2 million deal. The Jets would be wise to pounce on Abedo, creating a young and talented cornerback duo with Gardner.
Offense: Marquise Brown, Cooper Rush and maybe Mike Gesicki
While Tyron Smith and Wes Schweitzer are expected to leave New York via free agency, the team will likely re-sign RT Morgan Moses. He’ll join promising second-year LT Olu Fashanu, RG Alijah Vera-Tucker and C Joe Tippmann, creating a fairly solid line with depth added via the draft.
Tight end Tyler Conklin is expected to depart as well. While some analysts have suggested replacing Conklin with Saints’ veteran Juwan Johnson, it’s hard to see the upside in that move. Conklin is probably the more complete player and Johnson is expected to command $1 million more annually. If New York absolutely has to sign a free agent tight end, Mike Gesicki would be a reasonable option. Including last year, Gesicki has three seasons with at least 660 receiving yards. He can block and he’s likely available on a one-year deal for under $7 million, according to Spotrac.
However, the Jets are probably best served by addressing the tight end situation in the draft. There are at least six tight end prospects in the 2025 draft with great potential, led by Penn State’s Tyler Warren, who is often mocked to the Jets with the seventh-overall pick.
The 2025 draft also boasts a strong wide receiver class. But if the Jets go tight end with their first pick, they’re unlikely to land a day-one starter in the later rounds. Obviously Tee Higgins is the prized free agent receiver this offseason. But he’ll command $100 million over four years, which is far too rich for the Jets’ blood.
New York needs a field stretcher to play opposite Garrett Wilson. The team has lacked speed in general on offense and would benefit from a wideout who can take the top off the defense, opening up the middle for Wilson to work. Darius Slayton would be a nice fit for the Jets. The six-year veteran consistently produced for the New York Giants, which is no small feat considering the G-Men’s miserable quarterback situation during Slayton’s tenure – a situation perhaps only rivaled by the Jets own awful passing game.
Unfortunately, Slayton is expected to land a deal in the three-year $47 million range. At nearly $16 million annually, he’s just too expensive for the Jets this offseason.
As an alternative, the Jets should sign Marquise Brown. Sure Brown’s production has dropped off since his 1,000-yard, six-touchdown campaign with the Baltimore Ravens in 2021. But when he’s on the field, he brings speed and playmaking ability. And Brown would pair nicely with Wilson. Also, because he missed the majority of the 2024 season with an injury, he’s available for a prove-it contract with an anticipated value of $8 million annually. A very reasonable price for a speedy veteran with a 1,000-yard season on his resume.
Finally, the Jets must address the franchise’s biggest bugaboo. The position that’s haunted the team since Broadway Joe shocked the world by beating the Baltimore Colts back in Super Bowl III. The Jets need a quarterback.
Glenn and Mougey told Aaron Rodgers to kick rocks as the Jets will move forward without the future Hall of Fame QB. Whether that was the best decision for the team remains to be seen. But, either way, New York needs a QB. Journeyman backup Tyrod Taylor will likely be back and could even be the team’s starter in 2025. Fifth-round pick Jordan Travis is on the roster. But the Jets need to add another passer.
With the seventh overall pick in the upcoming draft, New York is likely out of position to grab one of the two quarterbacks considered potential year-one starters. The team is almost certain to grab a signal caller in the later rounds, either Ole Miss’ Jackson Dart, Texas’ Quinn Ewers or Ohio’s Will Howard. But all of those passers are considered developmental projects who would need at least a year to learn the NFL game before having a legitimate shot at competing for the starting job.
The free agent quarterback market is as depressing as the 2025 QB draft class. Former Jets first rounders Sam Darnold and Zach Wilson are available. But the team would rather swallow glass than sign either player. Beyond the former Jets, Trey Lance, Jacoby Brissett, Taylor Heinicke, Justin Fields and Jameis Winston are available. But New York should pass on all of them.
The Jets should sign Cooper Rush. Yes, that does indeed sound insane. But it’s actually not a terrible option. We’re not talking about the team’s quarterback of the future here. The Jets need a bridge QB. Someone to either give New York time to develop a passer from the draft or get the team through the 2025 season, after which Glenn and Mougey should have better QB options.
Rush is actually not bad. In limited action last season he threw for 1,844 yards with 12 touchdowns and five interceptions while completing over 60 percent of his passes. The Cowboys went 3-5 under Dak Prescott and 4-5 under Rush.
By unceremoniously dumping Rodgers, the Jets signaled that they are punting on 2025. Sacrificing the season in the name of CULTURE. Rush has proven he can take care of the ball and he’s more than capable of handing off to Breece Hall. And he could be had on a one-year $5 million deal. New York should sign Rush and let him and Taylor battle it out for the honor of quarterbacking the (probably) 3-14 Jets in 2025
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