The New York Jets 2024 season is off to a rocky start already, and I bet they are regretting these three offseason decisions they made. Aaron Rodgers has returned to the field, but it yielded a rsult that Jets fans are all too used to.
The Jets are 0-1, and neither the offense nor defense looked particularly good. Sure, they may end up figuring something out here, as there are 16 games left, but Rodgers himself may be declining before our eyes, and Jets GM Joe Douglas totally botched the defensive line this offseason.
It's only Week 2, but these three Jets offseason decisions are already looking like a disaster.
3 Jets offseason decisions in 2024 that already look like a disaster
Letting Bryce Huff walk
In 2023, the New York Jets had Bryce Huff on the field for just 480 defensive snaps, which ended up being 42% of their total on that side of the ball. Even with the low snap count, Huff was able to rack up 10 sacks, 10 tackles for loss, and 21 QB hits. His pass-rush win rate was sky-high.
The Jets let Huff walk, and he signed with the Philadelphia Eagles. It's already proving to be a bad decision, as their Haason Reddick situation is just far from ideal. Reddick is also a bit older than Huff, so I would not be surprised if the Jets are regretting this already.
Trading John Franklin-Myers for nothing
I understand that the New York Jets were in a bit of a financial pinch, but them practically giving away John Franklin-Myers to the Denver Broncos was a huge mistake. Franklin-Myers is a plus-defender and will have a nice year with the Broncos.
In 2024, Franklin-Myers cap hit is $5 million. The Jets brought in Javon Kinlaw to try and fill the cap here from both of their DL departures. His cap hit in 2024 is $2.85 million. I mean, this seems kind of silly, right? They traded Franklin-Myers for what feels like less than $3 million on their cap?
Not acquiring another young QB
The New York Jets took Jordan Travis in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft. He's also been injured since the end of the 2023 college football season, and with Tyrod Taylor entrenchded as the backup QB, it's not likely that Travis sees any action in his rookie season.
The big issue here for the Jets is that they havev virtually nothing in place for life after Aaron Rodgers, and if Joe Douglas wanted to save his job, he should have been a bit more aggressive in trying to find another young QB to bring aboard. Taylor is old and is clearly not someone you want to start full time.
His ceiling is also pretty clear. It would have been smarter for the Jets to have come away with someone like Mac Jones, who was traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Heck, they could have even drafted Spencer Rattler, who went to the New Orleans Saints.
The Jets are clearly going to go as Aaron Rodgers goes, but Rodgers is old and is coming off of a major injury. If Rodgers was 30 and right in his prime, this would not be an issue, but Douglas not doing more to bring in another or different young QB is a mistake.