INDIANAPOLIS — New regimes are always unique to cover, especially the first year with first timers. There’s nothing to lean on to figure out what they’re about to do because they’ve never done it before. There’s no past or prior relationship with them to get an idea on what’s to come.
The NFL Combine is a chance to get markings of a potential roadmap. People talk. People gossip. People (unofficially) meet. This is usually when you figure out what’s about to come.
The Jets are in the midst of a new rebuild with general manager Darren Mougey and coach Aaron Glenn. The stage is set for an interesting few months. Here’s what we’re hearing from the past week at the NFL Combine.
I don’t get the sense that the Jets will be overly aggressive in an attempt to trade up to the draft’s first (Titans) or second (Browns) spot to select a quarterback.
Yes, they’ve contacted the Titans, a source confirmed to SNY. However, the way those discussions were described to me were as “preliminary” and “checking in” — essentially, Mougey was doing his homework.
That could change if the Jets fall in love with a prospect in the coming weeks and months. But, personally, I’m not sure that it happens for two reasons: The cost and the Jets’ other holes.
The Athletic detailed the last two trades that were made to move up in a similar fashion. The Panthers traded DJ Moore, the No. 9 pick and a second-round selection, then a 2024 first-rounder and 2025 second-rounder, to go up. In 2016, the Rams traded the No. 15 pick and second- and third-round selections the first year, then first- and third-rounders the next.
If you’re hellbent in your conviction that Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward is a no-doubt, can’t-miss franchise quarterback: You do that deal and don’t look back. It just really doesn’t seem like either of these guys are the level of prospect that you go up for.
SNY touched base with scouts, executives, agents and coaches about Sanders and Ward. Not one had Sanders above Ward, but many also had concerns with the Miami passer. They were fine with Ward going No. 1 if you believe in him and take him organically. Mortgaging the future was a completely difference scenario.
The Jets are far more likely to dabble in the second-tier-veteran-quarterback market, sources who met with the team in Indianapolis told SNY. They came away from those meetings believing that the Jets’ plan is to pair Tyrod Taylor with another veteran and then draft someone on Day 2 (or trade up late in the first round to have the fifth-year option). Marcus Mariota, Justin Fields and Carson Wentz are three names to keep an eye on, per sources.
The caveat here is if something funky happens on draft night. While a trade up to the first two selections is too pricey, a trade up two spots is a far different story. If a quarterback the Jets like slips, then Mougey could absolutely go up a pick or two to get him.
Extensions for the Jets’ 2022 draft class aren’t imminent.
That doesn’t mean they aren’t coming, but the focus is currently on free agency and the draft (as it should be).
I did get the sense that this regime is much more open to the idea of extending players after three years than Joe Douglas was.
This is a nice evolution in thinking. You’re not only rewarding players, which sends a nice message to the locker room, but locking them up before certain markets explode.
The Eagles do this often. It’s among the reasons why they have so many stars under contract for the foreseeable future.
Douglas had a unique approach to early extensions. He was willing to do it. But if he awarded a player early, he expected the player to give back in other areas (team friendly years, less guarantees, etcetera).
I didn’t get the that sense this was going to be the case for Mougey. Sources believed any extension will be fair and to market value, assuming the cash is there to do so.
When serious negotiations do begin, it will be interesting to see how the Jets value receiver Garrett Wilson.
Sources agreed: Cornerback Sauce Gardner is a far simpler deal. He’ll reset the cornerback market as the highest-paid player because the two-time All-Pro First Team selection is (arguably) the NFL’s top corner.
Wilson is a bit more complicated. He’s a tremendous player, but is he the fifth-best receiver in the NFL? Lower? Higher? How does Wilson view himself compared to the Jets? That one could take a little more time.
Tight end Tyler Conklin isn’t expected to return. Neither is cornerback D.J. Reed, who one team told me was their top-ranked cornerback entering free agency.
The Jets are unlikely to explore replacing Reed with another top-tier free agent (they realize that they need to pay Gardner). An in-house or draft replacement is more plausible.
Sources told SNY that the team was expressing interest in free-agent tight ends. Juwan Johnson is the top target, but the Jets might opt to sign a cheaper player like Washington’s John Bates.
The Jets have expressed interest in retaining a few of their own in-house free agents, including versatile cornerback/safety Isaiah Oliver and linebacker Jamien Sherwood.
Sherwood will have a robust market. Oliver played under new defensive coordinator Steve Wilks in San Francisco.
Oliver has value as both a nickelback (insurance if Michael Carter II‘s injury concerns continue) and safety (the Jets need two).
Changing the culture is a major priority for Glenn. You’ll likely see a few free-agent signings that help with that.
The most obvious connection is to receiver Tim Patrick, who played last year for the Lions. The Jets certainly have interest there.
Also keep an eye on linebacker Derrick Barnes. He played just three games last season (PCL, MCL), but had 81 tackles the year before.
Most people know about Glenn. He played for the Jets and spent the last couple years in the spotlight as Detroit’s defensive coordinator.
Far less, before his hire, had any idea who Mougey was (outside of Denver).
I talked to assistant coaches, head coaches, scouts, executives and agents in Indianapolis. The goal was to find people who knew Mougey to get an idea of what kind of person the Jets just hired.
He seemed very nice at his introductory press conference and combine presser with media. That means very little. True colors take longer to show.
I cannot express the level to which so many people raved about who Mougey is as a person — trustworthy, honest, standup.
This is rare. It’s hard for someone in Mougey’s profession to maintain such an outstanding reputation when dealing with so many different people. You’re bound to upset someone — cutting, trading or devaluing a guy while overvaluing another. It happens. All the time. Talk to enough people and eventually someone has something bad to say.
There was one criticism that I heard from talking to dozens of sources in Indianapolis: He’s a first-time general manager, so no one knows if it will work. One same source who said it quickly followed by saying that he has all the confidence in the world in Mougey “as long as he has the resources to succeed.”
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