5 players the New York Jets gave up on way too soon

2. Demario Davis, linebacker

Demario Davis is one of the biggest unsung heroes of the NFL today. He’s one of the most underrated defensive players in the league and a secret superstar if there ever was one. The Jets took Davis in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft out of Arkansas State and he had a pretty outstanding first four years in the league with them.

Davis became a full-time starter by his second NFL season and averaged 110 total tackles for the next three years. The Jets let him go in 2016 to the Browns, got him back in 2017 via trade and he had a whopping 15 QB hits from the off-ball linebacker position that year. How did the Jets let this guy get away twice?

Even after drafting and developing him, letting him get away, then trading to re-acquire him, the Jets let Davis leave for New Orleans in 2018 where he’s become a four-time All-Pro in the last four seasons. Ouch.

1. John Abraham, Defensive end

The New York Jets had probably felt like they’d done a good job of getting the most out of their initial investment in John Abraham. They invested a first-round pick in him in the 2000 NFL Draft and he gave them 53.5 sacks and 55 tackles for loss along with 19 forced fumbles in his first six NFL seasons.

Atlanta used a first-round pick they had acquired from the Denver Broncos to trade for John Abraham, and he became one of the most successful defensive players in the history of the Falcons organization. Over the next seven seasons, he had 115 QB hits, 68.5 sacks, 79 tackles for loss, and 24 forced fumbles. He made multiple All-Pro rosters and his fourth Pro Bowl as a member of the Falcons.

Luckily, that trade also worked out for the Jets, who used the pick they got from the Falcons on Nick Mangold, one of the best linemen in franchise history.