New York Jets fans have always prided themselves on being the offseason champs. However this offseason the green and white have received the “biggest loser” label.
Austin Mock of “The Athletic” categorized the Jets in that way after a $116 million free agency fallout this offseason. He highlighted the losses of wide receiver Davante Adams, cornerback D.J. Reed, and offensive tackle Morgan Moses.
“Davante Adams remains a very good wide receiver, despite getting up there in age; [Morgan] Moses is still a quality tackle; and the biggest loss, according to my projections, is D.J. Reed. Reed has been a quality cornerback for a while, and he’s going to be difficult to replace. I don’t necessarily disagree with letting these players walk, given the state of the roster and the price tags it would have taken to keep them in town, but there’s no debate the Jets lost some top talent this offseason,” Mock explained.
Adams signed a two-year deal for $44 million with the Los Angeles Rams. Moses inked a three-year deal for $24 million with the New England Patriots. While Reed landed the biggest contract of any former Jet with a three-year deal of his own worth $48 million with the Detroit Lions.
There Are Reasonable Explanations for the Moves the Jets Made
The Jets had no choice with Adams. With the way his contract was structured, the Jets were forced to cut ties with the talented wideout. The only way he could have stuck around is if he re-worked his contract voluntarily but that was never going to happen without Aaron Rodgers being here.
In his article for The Athletic, Mock explained that the Jets’ quarterback swap this offseason of Rodgers for Justin Fields is basically a wash.
The Jets and Moses had mutual interest in working out a deal to bring him back, until the Patriots gave him a ridiculous three-year deal for $24 million at the age of 34. Matching that would have been a reckless decision by the Jets.
New England had money to burn and a hole to fill on the offensive line. You can’t blame Moses for taking the bag, and you can’t blame the Jets for walking away from that one.
Where the Jets potentially messed up is at the cornerback position – at least on paper.
Reed has been a wonderful player for the green and white since joining the team in free agency. He bolts to the Lions on a big money deal, and the Jets opt to replace him with veteran Brandon Stephens.
“I don’t know who the Jets were competing with when they gave Stephens $12 million per year. He was one of the most targeted cornerbacks last season, and he gave up more expected points added (EPA) as the nearest defender in coverage than all but one other defensive back,” ESPN NFL analyst Ben Solak explained.
“[Reed] has been consistently good at a volatile position, allowing less than 1.1 yards per coverage snap (the average for an outside corner) in four consecutive seasons, per NFL Next Gen Stats. I also think he was the best corner in this free agency class, making him an upgrade over Carlton Davis III. The Patriots are now paying Davis $20 million per year, while the Lions are paying Reed only $16 million. So not only did the Lions get a great player to fill a crucial need, but they did it for a good value,” ESPN’s Seth Walder said.
What People Seem to Be Missing About the Jets
There is no doubt the Jets are a less talented football team right now than they were in 2024. However it’s important to note that ridiculously talented roster only won five games this past season. They underachieved.
The biggest difference from 2024 to 2025 that no one is talking about is the coaching. Last year the entire team was poorly coached and it resulted in the first ever mid-season head coach firing that Woody Johnson has ever done under his ownership.
How good will this group be in 2025? Who knows. It’ll have to be better by default considering how bad last year was but it is still a mystery.
Brian Costello of the New York Post explained to me in an interview back in February on “Boy Green Daily” that the Jets could end up being less talented but finish with better results next season.
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