New York Jets: Future to be determined by 2018 free agency

The future of the New York Jets will be determined by how they attack free agency in 2018, not who they draft.

The 2018 NFL Draft is littered with future talent for the league. There will be good or great players selected in every round, some may even be selected by the New York Jets. The Jets may have as much as $80 million in cap space. So, 2018 and beyond is as much about the free agent class as the draft class.

They have some good foundation pieces. Now it’s time to add other pieces through free agency. There may be some quality players at positions of need. Kirk Cousins (QB), Le’Veon Bell (RB),  Trumaine Johnson (CB), and Dontari Poe (NT) might all be available. The free agency class in 2018 is very top-heavy. They must do well in free agency in order to set their future moving forward.

This past March, Ethan Greenberg of NewYorkJets.com wrote the Woody Johnson said they want to primarily build through the draft. That’s fine and dandy, but you do have to get free agents too.

"We’ll use the draft primarily and we’ll use free agency judiciously, trading and the rest of it. But mostly through the draft."

Just look to the Midwest. Ted Thompson doesn’t do well in the free agent market, and, while the Packers make the playoffs consistently, they haven’t made it back to the Super Bowl without being able to sign free agents. The Jets must be able to sign free agents to make this work.

Next: 2018 NFL Mock Draft: Browns make surprise pick at No. 1

The Jets are addition mode rather than building mode. It’s time to add veteran pieces to get over the top rather than see what the draft can give them. Young players can only take you so far. The draft is a crapshoot. The Jets need to have more established players on the roster, and pronto!