The only way for NY Jets to truly build a championship team

If the New York Jets want to win a championship, they need to act like it

In 2023, the New York Jets’ championship hype rose sky-high. The team somehow bamboozled the public into thinking that Aaron Rodgers alone could win a ring — never mind that he had not done so in 13 years with far better offensive lines and coaches than those he had in New York.

For a team with championship aspirations, though, they did almost nothing to build the roster. They re-signed Quincy Williams, Solomon Thomas, Connor McGovern, and Greg Zuerlein, signed Allen Lazard, Mecole Hardman, Quinton Jefferson, Al Woods, and Thomas Morstead, and brought in Dalvin Cook late in the game. Their best move all offseason was to trade for Chuck Clark, and his season ended before it began. They drafted players in the first and second rounds to sit on the bench before injuries forced their hand with the latter.

This offseason, the time bomb is ticking even more rapidly. Rodgers is coming off an Achilles tear and is yet another year older. Lazard can no longer be counted on as a No. 3 receiver. Woods, McGovern, and Clark are also coming off season-ending injuries, while Cook and Hardman didn’t make it through the year with the team.

If the Jets want to win a ring in 2024, they need to act like it. They can’t just expect Rodgers to solve all their issues. Whiffing in free agency has caused a cap crunch, but they can play the restructure game until it runs out on them. They should finally go all-in on that game instead of hedging.

Offensive line

With the Jets’ current personnel, as much as Alijah Vera-Tucker is a better guard, the Jets’ plan should be to pencil in Vera-Tucker at right tackle. Ideally, they can sign two tackles and keep Vera-Tucker at guard, but finding two starter-quality tackles will be a challenge. Additionally, this approach will prevent what happened in the 2023 draft from recurring; they will have their plan at tackle even if other teams select the top tackles in the draft. If they can get a top tackle and start him while moving Vera-Tucker inside, so much the better.

The first thing the Jets must do is release Laken Tomlinson. With a post-June 1 cut, they can save $13 million in 2023. Even though those savings do not actually take effect until June 1, the Jets can restructure some contracts to make room until those savings take effect. With the $13 million in future cap space, they can likely sign an offensive lineman-and-a-half out of the three they would then need — left tackle and both guard spots.

Left tackle

We’ve been talking about the Jets going bargain-shopping on the offensive line. However, many of the available offensive linemen fall into the exact trap Michael Nania warned against in free agency: players who suddenly broke out in favorable situations but don’t have a track record.

This applies most closely to Jermaine Eluemunor, who broke out at the same time as the other Raiders’ offensive linemen this season. The Jets can sign Eluemunor if he’s available for backup-level money but not for more than Nate Herbig’s two-year, $8 million deal.

Meanwhile, Trent Brown does not fit the Jets’ zone scheme due to a lack of athleticism, and he is also highly injury-prone. Jonah Williams has some of the Nania question marks surrounding him, and his 2023 season wasn’t even all that good.

If the Jets want to go all-in, they can’t scrimp at the tackle position. Therefore, Tyron Smith is the best option available. Mike Onwenu may be the top name entering his prime, but he did not play as well at tackle in 2023 as he did at guard in prior years, and he also comes from the Patriots’ gap-heavy scheme. Smith has a highly proven track record, although he also has significant injury concerns. Still, he’ll usually play between 11-13 games per season and be available for the playoffs. At his consistent level of elite play, he’s worth bringing in.

Guard

Most of the guards on the market have Nania questions on them, such as Robert Hunt, Kevin Dotson, Greg Van Roten, Kevin Zeitler, and John Simpson. Of that group, Zeitler makes the most sense for the Jets because he has a history of success from before his Ravens days and also likely won’t break the bank. Another cost-effective option is James Hurst, the Saints guard who played well this season and has also been a solid pass-blocker at tackle in the past. As Nania listed, Graham Glasgow and Jon Feliciano are other options.

Hunt was a solid player before Mike McDaniel came into Miami, so perhaps he’s worth breaking the bank for with the money saved from Tomlinson.

Wide receiver

We know the drill here: Mike Evans, Davante Adams, Tee Higgins, Michael Pittman. The Jets should do everything in their power to make sure they end up with one of these four players. It could end up impossible, though, if Evans wants to return to Tampa, the Raiders decide to retain Adams, and both Higgins and Pittman are franchise-tagged.

Then what? It’s easy to want to turn to the draft, but again, the Jets could be jumped for the top available receivers. It’s conceivable that Rome Odunze will be off the board by then along with Marvin Harrison Jr. and Malik Nabers.

Therefore, the Jets’ Plan B must be to sign a committee of receivers, not just throw their hands up and say “We tried.” Ideally, Allen Lazard will end up as their No. 4 receiver or at most their 3b.

If they can’t get one of the big four receivers above (or some other top receiver who becomes available via trade), the Jets must be prepared to sign two No. 3-caliber receivers and also draft a mid-round receiver. Ideally, one of those players should have some punt return experience. I listed a few options here, and others could be released, as well.

Other positions

Backup quarterback is another position the Jets shouldn’t scrimp on. It’s okay to choose Tyrod Taylor over Jacoby Brissett, but they should not start looking through the lower levels of quarterbacking. Andy Dalton, Gardner Minshew, Ryan Tannehill, and Jameis Winston could be in the conversation. Players like Sam Darnold, Mason Rudolph, Drew Lock, and Josh Dobbs should not (notwithstanding Dobbs’ run with Arizona).

Re-signing Bryce Huff should be a priority, even if it means trading John Franklin-Myers. Pass rush is king, especially for a team that still believes it will be playing with leads. Huff posted absurd pressure rates with an increased role and also turned them into sacks. If the team was willing to sign Carl Lawson to a big deal a few years ago, it should be a no-brainer to continue with Huff.

Meanwhile, safety, defensive tackle, and backup running back are positions the Jets can afford to go lighter on. Re-signing Jefferson and Clark is ideal, as well as signing a bargain defensive tackle and running back.

While cap money doesn’t grow on trees, the Jets can restructure enough contracts to make it happen — even if Joe Douglas sells the team’s soul once more to do it.

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