Free agency rumors are starting to leak out.
NFL Insider Connor Hughes of SNY revealed on Sunday, March 2 that a top target for the New York Jets on the open market is New Orleans Saints tight end Juwan Johnson.
Johnson Would Provide a Big Target for Whoever Is Playing QB for the Jets
Johnson, 28, entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent back in 2020.
The former Penn State and Oregon product has spent all of his five seasons with the Saints.
During that period, Johnson has appeared in 67 games and has made 34 starts. He has racked up 146 receptions for 1,622 receiving yards and 18 touchdowns.
This past season was Johnson’s best in the league. He set new career highs in catches (50), receiving yards (548), and receptions that resulted in a first down (27).
According to Pro Football Focus, Johnson is expected to sign a three-year deal for $29.25 million in free agency with $17 million of that guaranteed. That $9.75 million annual salary would rank No. 14 among the highest-paid tight ends in the NFL, per Over The Cap.
“There will be slim pickings at the tight end position in free agency this offseason, but Johnson offers a large catch radius and good hands over the middle, critical on third down and in the red zone. Over the past four seasons, his 18 touchdowns rank eighth among tight ends and his 9.0-yard average depth of target ranks fifth, illustrating he is not just a check-down outlet but a true downfield threat at the position,” PFF wrote in his free agency profile.
Insider Reveals Jets’ Backup Plan if Things Get Expensive
While Juwan Johnson is considered the team’s “top target” in free agency among tight ends, they do have a backup plan. Hughes said the team “might opt to sign a cheaper player like Washington’s John Bates.”
Bates, 27, is a mammoth-sized man at 6-foot-6 and tipping the scales at 259 pounds. He entered the league as the No. 124 overall pick in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL draft.
He would come cheaper than Johnson, but there is a reason for it.
The former Boise State product hasn’t had anywhere near the same production in the NFL. During his four years in the league, Bates has caught 61 passes for 592 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
There are no projections available for how much Bates could make on the open market. Bates’ $4.2 million rookie contract is set to expire this offseason.
If the Jets opted for the Bates direction that can’t be the only move at tight end. The only tight end that is currently under contract for the Jets is Jeremy Ruckert.
Ruckert has been a massive disappointment at the NFL level. He has struggled to stay on the field due to injury and when Ruckert has gotten opportunities on the gridiron he hasn’t taken advantage of them.
With a new regime taking over, they have to hit the reset button at the tight end position. Over the last 15 years, the Jets have struggled to produce at tight end. That lack of a presence has taken its toll on the offense.
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