There are six games left in the Jets’ season, but it already feels like it is over.
You know what that means … let’s look ahead to the offseason.
Jets seasons have been rough for the past decade-plus, but the offseason arrives every year full of hope and Jets fans somehow talk themselves into believing the team is going to make all the right moves to make a playoff run when the next season arrives.
This offseason should be no different. Expectations will rise again with the return of Aaron Rodgers, but the flaws on the 2023 team beyond just losing Rodgers are evident right now and need to be addressed.
So, let’s take a look at what moves need to be made entering next season.
1️⃣ Keep the current leadership in place
I get the criticism of Joe Douglas and Robert Saleh right now. There are plenty of reasons to criticize them, but I think most of the complaints are coming from out of the frustration of watching the offense stumble each week.
We should all remember that the loss of Rodgers changed everything for the Jets this season and then the rash of injuries along the offensive line added to that problem.
Douglas and Saleh have been far from perfect, but don’t forget about their work on the defense. They deserve credit for building one of the best units in football.
Douglas added players such as Sauce Gardner, Quincy Williams, John Franklin-Myers, D.J. Reed and Jermaine Johnson, and Saleh has used his system to maximize their talents.
Douglas and Saleh deserve a season with Rodgers at quarterback. That was the vision they had for this season, and they should get a shot with their quarterback to see whether they can make it work.
2️⃣ Re-sign Bryce Huff
The Jets don’t have many notable free agents, but Huff is at the top of the list. The Jets need to bring him back, yet he poses an interesting exercise in valuation.
He leads the team with six sacks and is 13th in pressures while being 60th in pass rush snaps, per Pro Football Focus. In other words, he is a highly productive player who does not play a ton of snaps. That sets up a negotiation in which the Jets can argue he is not as valuable because he only plays 30 percent of the snaps, but Huff’s agents can point to all of the analytics that show he has one of the fastest first steps in the NFL and is being held back by the coaches.
Huff is not going to fetch top edge-rusher money because he is not a double-digit sack guy year after year. The Jets may want to keep him to the $12 million-$14 million-a-year range, in line with some of the second-tier edge rushers. Huff’s agents could ask for $20 million a year, which is still way short of the $34 million that Nick Bosa gets at the top of the market.
The Jets need to prioritize bringing Huff back. If they have to, the franchise tag should be an option.
3️⃣ Find a second wide receiver
The Jets totally botched their plan at wide receiver this season. Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb and Mecole Hardman were all bad signings. The Jets need to get someone to play opposite Garrett Wilson to jump-start this offense.
The focus is immediately going to be on Davante Adams and whether the Jets can trade for him, but I’m not sure the Raiders are going to give him up. They don’t look to me like a team in need of a complete rebuild, and a new GM might opt to keep Adams and build around him.
If I’m the Jets, I’m also leery of giving up draft picks. They are already without their second-round pick because of the Rodgers trade. This team has holes, and it needs draft picks to fill them.
I would fill the wide receiver spot through free agency. The Jets are going to have an estimated $31 million in salary-cap space, per Over The Cap. Mike Evans or Tee Higgins could be strong No. 2 wide receivers for the Jets and would only cost money, not picks.
4️⃣ Fix the offensive line
This is going to be the toughest hurdle to clear in my view.
The Jets will enter 2024 with two solid pieces on the offensive line — Alijah Vera-Tucker, who I see as their right tackle, and Joe Tippmann at center.
I believe the Jets will not re-sign Mekhi Becton, who will be a free agent. Laken Tomlinson could be brought back at a reduced rate to play left guard.
That leaves you with two spots where you need to hit home runs. I would draft a left tackle in the first round of the draft. The Jets are currently looking at having a top-10 pick, which should allow them to land one of the top tackles. Then I would look for a guard in free agency who won’t break the bank but can be a solid starter.
5️⃣ Sign a veteran backup quarterback
The Jets need to learn from their mistake from this year and make sure Rodgers has a solid backup.
Ryan Tannehill, Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew are all scheduled to be free agents. I would sign one of them and then draft a quarterback on Day 3 to be a developmental prospect.
I would not draft a quarterback in the first round this year. I think the Jets have too many other needs. But I certainly would be thinking about drafting one in the first round in 2025.
Hall pass
Robert Saleh made headlines the other day when he said Breece Hall needs to get “grimy” yards.
It is clear that Hall has not been himself lately. Part of that can be attributed to the banged-up offensive line, but it also looks as if Hall is pressing in order to break a big play because the offense has been so bad.
I also wonder whether Hall is not all the way back from his ACL surgery. Remember, players typically are not themselves until their second year back from an ACL. Hall broke some long runs early in the season, which made everyone think he was all the way back, but I wonder if he is wearing down now.
With that in mind, the Jets need to give Dalvin Cook and Israel Abanikanda more carries. It makes no sense to keep forcing the ball to Hall when he is struggling.
Cook looked good in Las Vegas a few weeks ago, and the Jets need to give him more opportunities. Abanikanda’s speed makes him a threat to score a touchdown every time he touches the ball. Now the Jets need to give it to him.
Want to catch a game? The Jets schedule with links to buy tickets can be found here.
Stat’s so
We all know how badly the Jets offense is struggling. They have scored 10 touchdowns in 11 games. All told, the Jets have 13 touchdowns (including two on defense and one on special teams).
That led us to look up the fewest touchdowns scored in a season in Jets history. Here is the list:
1. 1976: 20 TDs
2. 1977: 21 TDs
3. 1992: 23 TDs
4. 2005: 25 TDs
T-5. 2020: 26 TDs
T-5. 2007: 26 TDs
T-5. 1995: 26 TDs
T-8. 2014: 27 TDs
T-8. 2013: 27 TDs
T-8. 1973: 27 TDs
T-8. 1971: 27 TDs
Source: Stathead