New York Jets cornerback D.J. Reed appears ready for the next phase of the offseason.
On social media the veteran defensive back fired off a three-word response, “Monday its UP👽💰!!”
Monday its UP👽💰!! @RyloRodriguez pic.twitter.com/bqUw5atmRo
— DJ Reed (@D7_Reed) March 8, 2025
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Reed is referencing the NFL’s legal tampering period aka the “legal negotiating window” which opens up on Monday, March 10 at noon.
“From Monday-Wednesday, teams are permitted to contact and enter contract negotiations with players who can become unrestricted free agents,” Jets contributor Randy Lange explained. “On Wednesday beginning at 4 p.m. ET, teams can sign new free agents and must submit qualifying offers to restricted free agents and exclusive-rights free agents.”
Reed Is Set to Make a Lot of Money on the Free Agent Market
“There are a bunch of corners who’ll be in the $15 million range, and the New York Jets’ D.J. Reed is one to watch, who is rock solid, and can be a culture changer for some team—and even with seven years in the league, he’s still just 28. San Francisco’s Charvarius Ward, Minnesota’s Byron Murphy and Detroit’s Carlton Davis III should be in the ballpark of what Reed gets as well,” NFL Insider Albert Breer shared in a column for Sports Illustrated.
If Reed received a new contract that paid him $15 million annually it would be a massive raise. That figure would rank him No. 12 among the highest paid cornerbacks in the NFL, per Over The Cap.
Reed’s last contract was a three-year deal for $33 million with an annual average of $11 million per season.
That sizable price tag is why Reed is “unlikely” to return to the Jets this offseason, according to NFL Insider Connor Hughes of SNY.
ESPN’s Matt Bowen ranked Reed as the top overall free agent available this offseason.
“Reed is a highly competitive coverage corner with press-man traits and the transition speed to break on the throw. More of a ball disruptor than playmaker, he has 40 pass breakups — compared with six interceptions — over his career. Reed should be viewed as a scheme-versatile corner who should get paid well this month,” Bowen explained.
Jets Going Bargain Shopping to Replace Reed in the Starting Lineup
“The Jets are unlikely to explore replacing Reed with another top-tier free agent (they realize that they need to pay [Sauce] Gardner). An in-house or draft replacement is more plausible,” Hughes explained.
This past offseason the Jets made Michael Carter II the highest paid nickel defender in the league. Gardner is eligible to discuss a contract extension this offseason for the first time in his NFL career. Whenever he gets paid, whether it is this offseason or next, Hughes told radio host Jake Asman that he expects Sauce to become the new top paid corner in the NFL.
“So I think his contract is very easy because you say okay who is the highest paid corner? Sauce gets more than that guy. I don’t think it’s going to be an exorbitant amount more but it’s going to be a few million more than whoever the highest paid corner is in both APY [average per year] & guaranteed money,” Hughes told Asman on “The Jake Asman Show.”
.@Connor_J_Hughes told @JakeAsman that he thinks Sauce Gardner ‘is the easiest deal to do’ of all of the #Jets 2022 contract extension eligible players.
‘So I think his contract is very easy because you say okay who is the highest paid corner? Sauce gets more than that guy. I… pic.twitter.com/uQ07FHrBAS
— Paul Andrew Esden Jr (@BoyGreen25) February 28, 2025
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With that coming down the road, the Jets don’t want to invest too many resources into one positional group.
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