2022 NFL: Worst offseason move for each of the 32 teams
By Randy Gurzi
New York Jets: Overpaying C.J. Uzomah
First off, the New York Jets had a great offseason overall. They deserve a lot of credit for loading their roster with talented players such as Laken Tomlinson, Tyler Conklin, and C.J. Uzomah in free agency. Then in the draft, they did even better.
New York selected Sauce Gardner, Garrett Wilson, Jermaine Johnson, and Breece Hall in what could be a transformational draft class for them. The one question is whether or not they hit on Zach Wilson last year, and if he proves to be the guy, they could start to contend in the AFC East before long.
Having said that, they did have a bit of a head-scratcher in the Uzomah signing. While he’s not a bad player, the Jets might have paid too much, giving him a three-year deal worth $24 million. It looks even more confusing when you see they signed Conklin after a breakout campaign in Minnesota last year and they drafted Ohio State tight end Jeremy Ruckert as well.
Not only did they add two other tight ends, but the Bengals showed you could get a replacement for much cheaper. After Uzomah left Cincy, they signed former first-round pick Hayden Hurst to a one-year, $3.5 million contract. We could split hairs over who is the better player but a tight end room with Hurst, Conklin, and Ruckert wouldn’t look that much different than Uzomah, Conklin, and Ruckert.
Again, they improved quite a bit this offseason which made it harder than normal to find their worst move, meaning they can probably live with this one and be just fine.