Bla Bla Bla's 2021 Mock Offseason

[bla bla bla]

Jets finish the season 0-16 or 1-15 with the #1 overall pick. The Jags are the biggest threat to the Jets in terms of #1 pick but based on how we saw Luton play I think they squeak out a game over the course of the rest of the season. Woody Johnson comes home and fires Adam Gase, taking the heat off of Christopher Johnson and Joe Douglas.

 

Coaching Staff

 HC - Greg Roman, he's a NJ guy (Atlantic City) and has had a hand in developing/designing offenses around his starting QBs most notably Andrew Luck, Alex Smith, Collin Kaep, Tyrod Taylor, & Lamar Jackson. Has never finished worse than 5th in interceptions thrown, in 4 of 7 seasons his teams have been top 5 in points scored, and all but 1 season they've been top 10 in giveaways. Oh and did I mention he was the Ravens OL assistant while Joe Douglas was scouting with Baltimore.

 OC - Mike Kafka, Eric Bieniemy may be the OC in KC but the guy I have my eye on in QB Coach Mike Kafka. When you watch Patrick Mahomes going to the sidelines it is Mike Kafka who is in his ear not Eric Bieniemy. While he hasn't been a playcaller before he doesn't necessarily have to take on that responsibility fully with Roman as the HC. Kafka will be able to spend his time grooming our new QB unlike the setup in our current regime.

DC - Chris Hewitt, he spent 8 years with Greg Schiano at Rutgers as the RB & CB Coach, 8 years with Baltimore as a DB coach and was promoted to Pass Defense Coordinator this year with the Ravens. He follows Roman to NY to take on a secondary in desperate need of a rebuild.

 

Salary Cap Space

Spotrac - $84M

OTC - $82M

The Jets are going to have $30m in cap space roll over into 2021, with the lack of fans in the stands the salary cap drops to the agreed upon floor of $176m. For arguments sake I am going to use the lower of these 2 numbers given by OTC/Spotrac giving us a starting point of $82M.

 

Cuts

DE - Henry Anderson - $8.2m in savings, has not lived up to his contract

**OT - George Fant - I'm torn on him, I don't want to weaken our OL but he leaves a lot to be desired. Jets have plenty of cap space to let this play out for 1 more year.

 

Our Own FAs

WR - Breshaud Perriman - Walk

S - Bradley McDougald - Walk

OLB - Jordan Jenkins - Walk

CB - Pierre Desir - Walk

LB - Neville Hewitt - Walk

LB - Patrick Onwuasor - 1 Year $2m - Same contract he had this past year, a familiar face for CJ Mosley and a cheap stand in until a replacement can be found

K - Sam Ficken - ERFA - 1 Year $850k - have been pleasantly surprised with Ficken this year, not tied to this signing would be fine with Castillo under the same contract.

WR - Jeff Smith - ERFA - 1 Year $780k - Speed kills and Jeff Smith has a lot of it. With the Jets in need of WR help I think we hold onto a cheap option to see how he gels with the new staff.

WR - Vyncint Smith - RFA - 1 Year $2.3m (Original Round Tender) - More than I'd like to spend on Smith since he wasn't healthy this season but I really like the upside for the same reasons I retained Jeff Smith.

Slot CB - Brian Poole - 2 Years $12m - He's easily been the best member of our secondary, I'd be willing to up our price to keep him if it comes to it but I think he will show loyalty to the Jets and resign.

FS - Marcus Maye - 3 Years $30m - This contract could definitely be lower but we may have to overpay to retain his services. I think he'll try to return home to Florida and play for former HC Todd Bowles or possibly to Miami. Jets need to start retaining some of their own players and Maye has been a leader for this team in the wake of Jamal leaving. This contract would make him the 12th highest paid safety.

 

Salary Cap = $68m

 

Free Agents

 WR - Allen Robinson II - 5 Years $100m - Let's face it the Jets need WR help and we are not an attractive destination heading into FA. The threat of Trevor Lawrence pulling an Eli is still very real in Jets fans minds. While I think there is a very small chance it happens the Jets should be looking to make this landing spot look as good as possible. As for Robinson, he gets the same deal Cooper got (it does allow for an out after 2 years) but the Jets pay a premium for a WR who has been lights out over the course of his career with sub par QBs. 

LG - Joe Thuney - 4 Years $60m - This was the big FA I expected the Jets to land last season prior to his franchise tag with the Patriots. I think Joe Douglas will be dialed in again this offseason. Continue to build the OL, an area that was sorely lacking with Sam. Thuney did not commit a penalty during the entire 2019 campaign and has only 2 this season. Oh and this guy has never missed a start. In this situation I'd look to slide Alex Lewis to RG.

 EDGE - Romeo Okwara - 3 Years $27m - I was a big fan of Julian Okwara last year who is also a member of the Detroit Lions. Romeo initially started his career with the NY Giants as an UDFA. This is a sizable leap in contract for him but again, Jets are not an attractive landing spot. Had 7.5 Sacks in 2018, 1.5 Sacks in 2019 (arrival of Trey Flowers), and has 5 Sacks in 8 games in 2020. Jets will have an out after 1 season if things head south but they roll the dice on a promising young Edge Rusher.

 

Salary Cap = $24m - We'll need to save ~$8m just to sign our draft class, leaving us $16m available to make in-season trades or potentially swing a 2022 late round pick for a player that could be cut before the start of the 2021 season.

 

NFL Draft

 1A) QB - Trevor Lawrence - Clemson - This is the generational talent that we have heard about all season long. At 6'6" he is the perfect combination of Height, Strength, Speed, and Smarts. There have only been 2 QBs in the history of the NFL to refuse to play for the team that drafted them Elway and Eli, and while the threat of that happening to the Jets should be a small thought, I think it is drastically overblown. Assuming he'll play here this will be the easiest pick in the draft.

1B) WR - DeVonta Smith - Alabama - That's right 3 WR Smiths on this team. The dude has wheels and would be a much needed shot in the arm. Imagine a WR core of Robinson II, Mims, Smith, Crowder as your top 4 weapons? Douglas decided to go all in on offense and surround his shiny new QB with the best weapons he can.

2A) RB - Kenny Gainwell - Memphis - I really would love Travis Etienne but I get the feeling he doesn't make it out of the first round. I don't like the idea of spending a #1 on a RB because of how high that 5th year option will be, but first pick in the 2nd round is a sweet spot for me. Gainwell opted out of the 2020 season after losing 4 family members to COVID19. He is elite out of the backfield and isn't afraid to burst through the OL. He feels very much like Kamara and will be an elite option in the backfield.

 

*TRADE* The Jets trade Sam Darnold to the Pittsburgh Steelers/NO Saints in return for a 2nd Round Pick

 

2B) RT - Daniel Faalele - Minnesota - at 6'9 400 lbs we'd have the largest pair of OTs the league has ever seen. He has only been playing football for 3 years so there is a ton of room to grow. It's not a sure thing that the Faalele will come out this year since he opted out due to COVID. He may decide to return for his senior season. However if he does this is exactly the type of prospect that I'd love to add to our OL.

3A) EDGE - Joe Tryon - Washington - He opted out because the Pac-12 wasn't supposed to play until Spring (they decided to start playing in Nov instead) The Jets haven't had a serious EDGE presence since John Abraham. Tryon may not provide that right out of the gate but the Jets have to start attempting to solve this decade long problem.

3B) CB - Asante Samuel Jr. - Florida State - This name may sound familiar and that's cause he is the son of former NFL CB Asante Samuel. He is not afraid to tackle and has a knack for breaking up passes. 

4) G/C - Alec Lindstrom - Boston College - Connor McGovern had a down year in 2020 but I think it may have more to due with coaching scheme than anything else. Top 10 Centers don't just fall to the bottom of the ranks in one season. I'd like to give him 1 more year in a new system before moving on from him. The 4th round is the perfect spot to snag a replacement to groom while we figure McGovern out. Again this player has a family history in the league with brother Chris going in the first round in 2019 and his Father also playing in the league.

5A) LB - Nate Landman - Colorado - Nicknamed "The Hammer" the guy flies all over the field, I would not expect him to start on defense right away but he could see a hefty amount of time on ST

5B) S - Damar Hamlin - Pitt - Another add to the secondary that we can groom and can contribute on ST

6) OLB - Shaka Toney - Penn State - Plays LB at Penn State but projects as an OLB in the NFL. Perhaps we can find a steal in the later rounds to assist with our pass rush but worst case scenario he is a solid tackler on ST.

 

 

I'm sure draft grades will change and some may go way higher or way lower but that's my initial Mock Offseason.

 

[Drums]

Cool post. Do you see a guy like Greg Roman hiring someone from KC on offense? I think that would be an interesting combo. Personally, I am starting to cool on Greg Roman and am shifting to Joe Brady in a major way and maybe Daboll. But hey, I wouldn't mind that coaching staff.

I like those FA signings a lot. It will be interesting to see if JD signs top tier FAs or he still goes the way he did this year with 2nd and 3rd tier with a fingers crossed mentality. I would like to see him lock those FAs you mentioned down, especially Allen Robinson and Thuney. I think you gotta go all out for those two. I really like Robinson out of the WR options. Having Robinson, Crowder, Mims, and Smith via draft would be good. 

When it comes to the draft, I like those picks (I don't know all of them but when it comes to their respective positions, I agree) but I think we need to address TE in some way, whether the draft or FA. They can roll the dice on going into next year with what we have but I think that's risky. I believe this has hurt Sam in a major way this year because he sucks without a tight end to throw to. I also agree that we need to try adding a formidable running back this year. 

[bla bla bla]

46 minutes ago, Drums said:

Cool post. Do you see a guy like Greg Roman hiring someone from KC on offense? I think that would be an interesting combo. Personally, I am starting to cool on Greg Roman and am shifting to Joe Brady in a major way and maybe Daboll. But hey, I wouldn't mind that coaching staff.

Yea I definitely am not as high on Roman as I once was, I do really like Joe Brady so I'd be happy with that. I'd love the Jets to throw stupid money at Swinney to come here so that way Trevor doesn't need to learn a new playbook but it will never happen. The Greg Roman connection just feels like it makes too much sense. I think Kafka ultimately stays and becomes the new OC in Kansas City so he can ride Mahomes coat tails to a HC position. I think he could consider Lawrence as his next project then it would potentially give him 2 elite prospects under his belt. I do think he is less likely than someone else haha but I like him.

49 minutes ago, Drums said:

I like those FA signings a lot. It will be interesting to see if JD signs top tier FAs or he still goes the way he did this year with 2nd and 3rd tier with a fingers crossed mentality. I would like to see him lock those FAs you mentioned down, especially Allen Robinson and Thuney. I think you gotta go all out for those two. I really like Robinson out of the WR options. Having Robinson, Crowder, Mims, and Smith via draft would be good. 

Yea I don't know what to expect. I think the Patriots franchised Thuney because they knew the Jets were going to throw a lot of money at him. He seems like a more plausible addition than the other two. I love Robinson he would be priority 1B for me, I think we will have to overpay to get him here though. Douglas definitely feels like a 2nd and 3rd tier FA kinda guy but with no one on the roster anymore I think he can splurge. Our next big contract is going to be Quinnen and that's 3 years away potentially. A lot of these deals won't last the full duration of the contracts I've given out.

51 minutes ago, Drums said:

When it comes to the draft, I like those picks (I don't know all of them but when it comes to their respective positions, I agree) but I think we need to address TE in some way, whether the draft or FA. They can roll the dice on going into next year with what we have but I think that's risky. I believe this has hurt Sam in a major way this year because he sucks without a tight end to throw to. I also agree that we need to try adding a formidable running back this year. 

TE was a position I wanted to address but I think I'd like to see Griffen and Herndon in a new offense to see if they can be salvaged. For me I think TE will be a 2022 project pending the results of that experiment. I think a dynamic RB is going to be a must at some point between the 2nd and 4th rounds, I like Gainwell more than some of the other RBs I've looked into but I could see it being too high for Douglas.

 

Love the feedback too!

[Maxman]

I will move this back eventually but want to get more eyeballs on this. Great job!  

You wrote this @bla bla bla ?  Can I make a post out of it and use it on the front page?  

[JoJoTownsell1]

Signing Allen Robinson would make the Jace Amaro nightmares finally go away. 

[JohnnyLV]

Great post. Not the way I would go personnel wise as I am still of the opinion that high priced free agents are fools gold and to be avoided almost as a rule.

I do like your thought on HC and OC but theres a lot of ways we can go

[bla bla bla]

1 hour ago, Maxman said:

I will move this back eventually but want to get more eyeballs on this. Great job!  

You wrote this @bla bla bla ?  Can I make a post out of it and use it on the front page?  

Yea absolutely haha

[bla bla bla]

58 minutes ago, johnnysd said:

Great post. Not the way I would go personnel wise as I am still of the opinion that high priced free agents are fools gold and to be avoided almost as a rule.

I do like your thought on HC and OC but theres a lot of ways we can go

Yea the return is never as good but if it's better than your draft picks and it's not preventing you from signing anyone then I don't really feel as bad. Like Bell was a bad signing but the idea of adding a top weapon for our young QB was definitely attractive. I think it would be more of an issue if we needed to keep some of our own players. 

[joewilly12]

Ju-Ju is the #1 free agent WR 

[Sperm Edwards]

As an OC, Greg Roman’s NFL offenses have been 31st or 32nd in pass attempts in all but one exception: 2014, when SF attempted the 29th-most attempts.

So I don’t see a team hiring Greg Roman as its OC if the goal is to entice Trevor Lawrence to declare for the NFL (read: declare he’s willing to play for the NYJ) a few weeks later.

I think any reputation for Roman “developing Andrew Luck” appears vastly overstated and is more credit by association. In Luck/Roman’s two seasons together, Roman was a TE coach and running game coordinator, and then a year later was its OL coach; not its OC/QBC, so far as I can tell. He was an assistant coach, not its assistant head coach.

There are players and things he’s due plenty of credit for coaching, but crediting him for developing Andrew Luck - in particular, giving him any serious or primary credit, let alone over Harbaugh (or Shaw, or Harbaugh and Shaw) - seems a revisionist stretch to say the least. 

Jackson is better than most predicted as a passer, and Roman probably gets a lot of credit there. But Jackson & Lawrence seem to be very different QBs with different strengths. No one’s drafting Lawrence with hopes he’s a game manager who happens to run like the wind independent of coaching.

[Irish Jet]

Roman is the coach if Fields if we're at #2. Fields is far more suited to his system. 

[BCJet]

Couple thoughts and great job laying this all out.

1.  Im not a huge fan of paying guards what Thuney would command.  We can simply keep fant, develop cameron clark, and use a 2nd/3rd round pick to bring in a new young lineman.  GVR has been a disappointment but he is a great veteran to have around and we can afford to keep someone like him even if he is a backup to clark or a rookie.

2.  I follow BC very closely and Lidstrom is will have another year of eligibility after this season and to mean doesnt seem like someone who would or should leave early.  The BC lineman I want JD to target is Zion Johnson who was a grad transfer in 2019 and played very well at LG.  This year he is playing LT but will be a guard in the NFL and is very athletic.

3.  The edge choice is interesting as he could be a good value, but if there is a place to overspend, I would love for this team to pay Bud Dupree.  I get that it will be Kahil Mack-level money, but I dont care. We will have a QB on a rookie deal, multiple picks and no huge contracts to dole out.  Dupree is young, fast and proven and as long as JD doesnt think he is a player who will regress after cashing in, I would be happy to "overspend" and put a legit edge rusher out there next to Huff and another draft pick.

4. At WR would be happy to pay Robinson or JuJu - either one works for me.

[bla bla bla]

1 hour ago, Sperm Edwards said:

There are players and things he’s due plenty of credit for coaching, but crediting him for developing Andrew Luck - in particular, giving him any serious or primary credit, let alone over Harbaugh (or Shaw, or Harbaugh and Shaw) - seems a revisionist stretch to say the least. 

Yea I probably should change the wording of that. I'm sure he didn't have much of any say in Luck. I do think Harbaugh struggling with top QB recruits at Michigan makes me question how much credit should be given to him as well. 

I definitely like other coaches for Trevor particularly Joe Brady, I just don't think he comes here if Rhules in his ear about how the Jets tried to force coaches on him.

[TMAC]

Thank you for the Post.  Very informative.

[kdels62]

I don’t like your draft. But that’s just like an opinion based on my opinions. Overall though I think this is great. 

I don’t see the value in taking Devonta Smith in round 1 if you sign Allen Robinson. I’d rather take a pass rusher (Roche, Bashem, Patrick Jones, Ossai) or a CB (Adebo, Stokes) or Etienne or a TE (Pitts).
I just feel like if you pay a WR $20m a year it’s not practical to spend a first rounder on the same position. Especially since you can get others (Amon-Ra St. Brown, Chris Olave, Seth Williams) later on.

[shuler82]

With a Darnold trade we’d have another $8 million in cap room. The Jets better not leave $32M unspent. I’d add another CB or two.

[GREENBEAN]

56 minutes ago, bla bla bla said:

Yea I probably should change the wording of that. I'm sure he didn't have much of any say in Luck. I do think Harbaugh struggling with top QB recruits at Michigan makes me question how much credit should be given to him as well. 

I definitely like other coaches for Trevor particularly Joe Brady, I just don't think he comes here if Rhules in his ear about how the Jets tried to force coaches on him.

THe interesting thing about that is that we are not the same org as when we played those games with Rhule. JD has a stellar reputation around the league and so do his underlings in Savage, Hogan and Alexander.  There would be an entirely different vernacular that lets Brady, or any HC candidate we target, know we are not a group of frauds playing house. 

The only real fear I have for attracting a top tier HC candidate, and TLaw for that matter, is that CJ will want to have too much say in the matter. Just let JD do what he does and he will get the right guy imo. 

The reason I like Roman so much is that he is not the "hot" Coordinator having his first taste of success. He has a strong resume of finding a way to build around different players t get the best out of them.  That said, I would be ALL IN for coercing a Swinney or Campbell out out of the college ranks. They are real HC's and that's what I'm looking for. 

Losing last night was important.  We are headed in the right direction and if we do fire Gase and JD is allowed to find his own HC, we are about to turn the corner. 

[Fantasy Island]

That was a good post.  

[GREENBEAN]

41 minutes ago, kdels62 said:

I don’t like your draft. But that’s just like an opinion based on my opinions. Overall though I think this is great. 

I don’t see the value in taking Devonta Smith in round 1 if you sign Allen Robinson. I’d rather take a pass rusher (Roche, Bashem, Patrick Jones, Ossai) or a CB (Adebo, Stokes) or Etienne or a TE (Pitts).
I just feel like if you pay a WR $20m a year it’s not practical to spend a first rounder on the same position. Especially since you can get others (Amon-Ra St. Brown, Chris Olave, Seth Williams) later on.

I don't know man. I totally get your point but Teams do that stuff all the time and I think it would be fine to overload the WR room with studs.  I do like the idea of grabbing Pitts at 1b more and more these days so that's an option too. 

If we grab TLaw at #1 overall, getting him as many legit targets as possible would be a wise move. Let's not forget we are the Jets and Murphy's Law was born here. Just like this year when every single starting and 2nd string WR was injured I think it's not a bad idea to overload the position with talent. Robinson, Crowder, Mims, J. Smith, V. Smith and D. Smith would be a nice bunch. I think one of those cats could possibly be supplanted by Berrios, but that's fine too. He has shown his worth and is a good guy to keep around. Just not as a starter. 

Targets targets targets. I think JD learned his lesson with that one. I think we're about to see a major uptick in talented targets for whoever is our QB next season. 

[DeerPark]

18 hours ago, bla bla bla said:

Jets finish the season 0-16 or 1-15 with the #1 overall pick. The Jags are the biggest threat to the Jets in terms of #1 pick but based on how we saw Luton play I think they squeak out a game over the course of the rest of the season. Woody Johnson comes home and fires Adam Gase, taking the heat off of Christopher Johnson and Joe Douglas.

 

Coaching Staff

 HC - Greg Roman, he's a NJ guy (Atlantic City) and has had a hand in developing/designing offenses around his starting QBs most notably Andrew Luck, Alex Smith, Collin Kaep, Tyrod Taylor, & Lamar Jackson. Has never finished worse than 5th in interceptions thrown, in 4 of 7 seasons his teams have been top 5 in points scored, and all but 1 season they've been top 10 in giveaways. Oh and did I mention he was the Ravens OL assistant while Joe Douglas was scouting with Baltimore.

 OC - Mike Kafka, Eric Bieniemy may be the OC in KC but the guy I have my eye on in QB Coach Mike Kafka. When you watch Patrick Mahomes going to the sidelines it is Mike Kafka who is in his ear not Eric Bieniemy. While he hasn't been a playcaller before he doesn't necessarily have to take on that responsibility fully with Roman as the HC. Kafka will be able to spend his time grooming our new QB unlike the setup in our current regime.

DC - Chris Hewitt, he spent 8 years with Greg Schiano at Rutgers as the RB & CB Coach, 8 years with Baltimore as a DB coach and was promoted to Pass Defense Coordinator this year with the Ravens. He follows Roman to NY to take on a secondary in desperate need of a rebuild.

 

Salary Cap Space

Spotrac - $84M

OTC - $82M

The Jets are going to have $30m in cap space roll over into 2021, with the lack of fans in the stands the salary cap drops to the agreed upon floor of $176m. For arguments sake I am going to use the lower of these 2 numbers given by OTC/Spotrac giving us a starting point of $82M.

 

Cuts

DE - Henry Anderson - $8.2m in savings, has not lived up to his contract

**OT - George Fant - I'm torn on him, I don't want to weaken our OL but he leaves a lot to be desired. Jets have plenty of cap space to let this play out for 1 more year.

 

Our Own FAs

WR - Breshaud Perriman - Walk

S - Bradley McDougald - Walk

OLB - Jordan Jenkins - Walk

CB - Pierre Desir - Walk

LB - Neville Hewitt - Walk

LB - Patrick Onwuasor - 1 Year $2m - Same contract he had this past year, a familiar face for CJ Mosley and a cheap stand in until a replacement can be found

K - Sam Ficken - ERFA - 1 Year $850k - have been pleasantly surprised with Ficken this year, not tied to this signing would be fine with Castillo under the same contract.

WR - Jeff Smith - ERFA - 1 Year $780k - Speed kills and Jeff Smith has a lot of it. With the Jets in need of WR help I think we hold onto a cheap option to see how he gels with the new staff.

WR - Vyncint Smith - RFA - 1 Year $2.3m (Original Round Tender) - More than I'd like to spend on Smith since he wasn't healthy this season but I really like the upside for the same reasons I retained Jeff Smith.

Slot CB - Brian Poole - 2 Years $12m - He's easily been the best member of our secondary, I'd be willing to up our price to keep him if it comes to it but I think he will show loyalty to the Jets and resign.

FS - Marcus Maye - 3 Years $30m - This contract could definitely be lower but we may have to overpay to retain his services. I think he'll try to return home to Florida and play for former HC Todd Bowles or possibly to Miami. Jets need to start retaining some of their own players and Maye has been a leader for this team in the wake of Jamal leaving. This contract would make him the 12th highest paid safety.

 

Salary Cap = $68m

 

Free Agents

 WR - Allen Robinson II - 5 Years $100m - Let's face it the Jets need WR help and we are not an attractive destination heading into FA. The threat of Trevor Lawrence pulling an Eli is still very real in Jets fans minds. While I think there is a very small chance it happens the Jets should be looking to make this landing spot look as good as possible. As for Robinson, he gets the same deal Cooper got (it does allow for an out after 2 years) but the Jets pay a premium for a WR who has been lights out over the course of his career with sub par QBs. 

LG - Joe Thuney - 4 Years $60m - This was the big FA I expected the Jets to land last season prior to his franchise tag with the Patriots. I think Joe Douglas will be dialed in again this offseason. Continue to build the OL, an area that was sorely lacking with Sam. Thuney did not commit a penalty during the entire 2019 campaign and has only 2 this season. Oh and this guy has never missed a start. In this situation I'd look to slide Alex Lewis to RG.

 EDGE - Romeo Okwara - 3 Years $27m - I was a big fan of Julian Okwara last year who is also a member of the Detroit Lions. Romeo initially started his career with the NY Giants as an UDFA. This is a sizable leap in contract for him but again, Jets are not an attractive landing spot. Had 7.5 Sacks in 2018, 1.5 Sacks in 2019 (arrival of Trey Flowers), and has 5 Sacks in 8 games in 2020. Jets will have an out after 1 season if things head south but they roll the dice on a promising young Edge Rusher.

 

Salary Cap = $24m - We'll need to save ~$8m just to sign our draft class, leaving us $16m available to make in-season trades or potentially swing a 2022 late round pick for a player that could be cut before the start of the 2021 season.

 

NFL Draft

 1A) QB - Trevor Lawrence - Clemson - This is the generational talent that we have heard about all season long. At 6'6" he is the perfect combination of Height, Strength, Speed, and Smarts. There have only been 2 QBs in the history of the NFL to refuse to play for the team that drafted them Elway and Eli, and while the threat of that happening to the Jets should be a small thought, I think it is drastically overblown. Assuming he'll play here this will be the easiest pick in the draft.

1B) WR - DeVonta Smith - Alabama - That's right 3 WR Smiths on this team. The dude has wheels and would be a much needed shot in the arm. Imagine a WR core of Robinson II, Mims, Smith, Crowder as your top 4 weapons? Douglas decided to go all in on offense and surround his shiny new QB with the best weapons he can.

2A) RB - Kenny Gainwell - Memphis - I really would love Travis Etienne but I get the feeling he doesn't make it out of the first round. I don't like the idea of spending a #1 on a RB because of how high that 5th year option will be, but first pick in the 2nd round is a sweet spot for me. Gainwell opted out of the 2020 season after losing 4 family members to COVID19. He is elite out of the backfield and isn't afraid to burst through the OL. He feels very much like Kamara and will be an elite option in the backfield.

 

*TRADE* The Jets trade Sam Darnold to the Pittsburgh Steelers/NO Saints in return for a 2nd Round Pick

 

2B) RT - Daniel Faalele - Minnesota - at 6'9 400 lbs we'd have the largest pair of OTs the league has ever seen. He has only been playing football for 3 years so there is a ton of room to grow. It's not a sure thing that the Faalele will come out this year since he opted out due to COVID. He may decide to return for his senior season. However if he does this is exactly the type of prospect that I'd love to add to our OL.

3A) EDGE - Joe Tryon - Washington - He opted out because the Pac-12 wasn't supposed to play until Spring (they decided to start playing in Nov instead) The Jets haven't had a serious EDGE presence since John Abraham. Tryon may not provide that right out of the gate but the Jets have to start attempting to solve this decade long problem.

3B) CB - Asante Samuel Jr. - Florida State - This name may sound familiar and that's cause he is the son of former NFL CB Asante Samuel. He is not afraid to tackle and has a knack for breaking up passes. 

4) G/C - Alec Lindstrom - Boston College - Connor McGovern had a down year in 2020 but I think it may have more to due with coaching scheme than anything else. Top 10 Centers don't just fall to the bottom of the ranks in one season. I'd like to give him 1 more year in a new system before moving on from him. The 4th round is the perfect spot to snag a replacement to groom while we figure McGovern out. Again this player has a family history in the league with brother Chris going in the first round in 2019 and his Father also playing in the league.

5A) LB - Nate Landman - Colorado - Nicknamed "The Hammer" the guy flies all over the field, I would not expect him to start on defense right away but he could see a hefty amount of time on ST

5B) S - Damar Hamlin - Pitt - Another add to the secondary that we can groom and can contribute on ST

6) OLB - Shaka Toney - Penn State - Plays LB at Penn State but projects as an OLB in the NFL. Perhaps we can find a steal in the later rounds to assist with our pass rush but worst case scenario he is a solid tackler on ST.

 

 

I'm sure draft grades will change and some may go way higher or way lower but that's my initial Mock Offseason.

 

sign me up.  good job.

[Beerfish]

Good op , i have not looked through the whole draft but I really like Devonta smith.

I do not like the choice of head coach though.

Roman is presiding over the 2nd worst passing offense in the league to the stinky jets and can't get the ball to Wrs.

[bla bla bla]

1 hour ago, BCJet said:

Im not a huge fan of paying guards what Thuney would command.  We can simply keep fant, develop cameron clark, and use a 2nd/3rd round pick to bring in a new young lineman.  GVR has been a disappointment but he is a great veteran to have around and we can afford to keep someone like him even if he is a backup to clark or a rookie.

Yea I guess my thought was to create an impenetrable wall for Trevor haha I am excited about Clark but I don't want to bank on him and GVR as the starter, at least at this point. 

 

1 hour ago, BCJet said:

2.  I follow BC very closely and Lidstrom is will have another year of eligibility after this season and to mean doesnt seem like someone who would or should leave early.  The BC lineman I want JD to target is Zion Johnson who was a grad transfer in 2019 and played very well at LG.  This year he is playing LT but will be a guard in the NFL and is very athletic.

I definitely don't follow BC closely so definitely like the insight! I think we gotta get some help on the interior of the OL.

2 hours ago, BCJet said:

3.  The edge choice is interesting as he could be a good value, but if there is a place to overspend, I would love for this team to pay Bud Dupree.  I get that it will be Kahil Mack-level money, but I dont care. We will have a QB on a rookie deal, multiple picks and no huge contracts to dole out.  Dupree is young, fast and proven and as long as JD doesnt think he is a player who will regress after cashing in, I would be happy to "overspend" and put a legit edge rusher out there next to Huff and another draft pick.

I actually had Dupree initially and swapped him for Okwara. My rationale for not having Dupree was my concern of playing on a loaded defense and I thought it may be unlikely to get 3 big ticket guys haha but I agree with you.

2 hours ago, BCJet said:

4. At WR would be happy to pay Robinson or JuJu - either one works for me.

I like Juju, only chose Robinson cause I think Juju will pass cause of how Sam was handled.

[predator_05]

There's an Asante Samuel Jr. now?

 

Man, i'm getting old. I remember watching his dad. 

[Sonny Werblin]

18 hours ago, bla bla bla said:

 

 

 

I'm sure draft grades will change and some may go way higher or way lower but that's my initial Mock Offseason.

 

What does your depth chart look like in 2021?

[Bugg]

8 hours ago, johnnysd said:

Great post. Not the way I would go personnel wise as I am still of the opinion that high priced free agents are fools gold and to be avoided almost as a rule.

I do like your thought on HC and OC but theres a lot of ways we can go

Would make an exception for Ju Ju Smith Shuster over Robinson. Exactly what this team needs at WR, makes Mims an excellent #2. 

[rangerous]

not liking so many wr's.  they need a shut down corner and edge and imo those should be pretty high on the priority list.  not sure about just letting perriman and hewitt walk.  perriman had a pretty good night and shows some good ability when paired with a qb who can get him the ball.  the jets just don't have much depth at lb and there are reasons to believe mosely won't be coming back with the same fire as before he opted out.

[kdels62]

46 minutes ago, GREENBEAN said:

I don't know man. I totally get your point but Teams do that stuff all the time and I think it would be fine to overload the WR room with studs.  I do like the idea of grabbing Pitts at 1b more and more these days so that's an option too. 

If we grab TLaw at #1 overall, getting him as many legit targets as possible would be a wise move. Let's not forget we are the Jets and Murphy's Law was born here. Just like this year when every single starting and 2nd string WR was injured I think it's not a bad idea to overload the position with talent. Robinson, Crowder, Mims, J. Smith, V. Smith and D. Smith would be a nice bunch. I think one of those cats could possibly be supplanted by Berrios, but that's fine too. He has shown his worth and is a good guy to keep around. Just not as a starter. 

Targets targets targets. I think JD learned his lesson with that one. I think we're about to see a major uptick in talented targets for whoever is our QB next season. 

I just view this offense as having more pieces than this defense and as much as we love to ignore defense the best teams in the league are running really good secondaries with heavy investment. 

I'd rather bring back Perriman as the WR3 than use a first rounder on Smith. I'm not saying lets not draft any WRs but I don't buy into overkill at a position when our roster is so depleted. Robinson, Mims, Perriman plus the Smiths/Cager and either of Olave/ Seth Williams/ Anthony Schwartz and then Crowder with Berrios in the slot  is a good not great WR corp. It should be good enough for either Fields or Lawrence to play with. 

I looked into the free agency class and the WR is where the talent is in free agency. There's very little on defense worth signing.  Get the best guy at WR and get more depth in the draft. 

[bla bla bla]

2 hours ago, kdels62 said:

I don’t like your draft. But that’s just like an opinion based on my opinions. Overall though I think this is great. 

I don’t see the value in taking Devonta Smith in round 1 if you sign Allen Robinson. I’d rather take a pass rusher (Roche, Bashem, Patrick Jones, Ossai) or a CB (Adebo, Stokes) or Etienne or a TE (Pitts).
I just feel like if you pay a WR $20m a year it’s not practical to spend a first rounder on the same position. Especially since you can get others (Amon-Ra St. Brown, Chris Olave, Seth Williams) later on.

I'd be good with Edge or CB in that spot too, I wanted to go Etienne but I wanted to take advantage of that 5th year rookie contract. May seem like overkill but for how this offense has looked I'm willing to stack that position. Especially cause Robinson likely only sees 3 years of a 5 year deal. I wanted a TE but I think I'd rather push that to 2022 and see what Griffen and Herndon look like in a new offensive system.

[bla bla bla]

1 hour ago, shuler82 said:

With a Darnold trade we’d have another $8 million in cap room. The Jets better not leave $32M unspent. I’d add another CB or two.

We only gain $1m in cap space from a Sam trade because we have to eat the signing bonus. I think we'd use unused cap before the season to trade for some players, I'm just not sure what to project for it haha I'm also cool with rolling some over to the following year.

[Greenseed4]

Great job @bla bla bla !! 

Gotta assume that with the accumulation of 2022 late round picks, JD has his sights set on a couple pricey players that cap poor teams will need to cut/trade to get off their books. 

That said, who on the Saints, Eagles, Falcons, Steelers (bottom-4 cap teams, I believe) would you see being trade targets? And how might that affect your offseason?

[bla bla bla]

52 minutes ago, Sonny Werblin said:

What does your depth chart look like in 2021?

I'll have to sit down and type it up haha I don't know off hand honestly. Tried to plug areas of need.

[bla bla bla]

21 minutes ago, rangerous said:

not liking so many wr's.  they need a shut down corner and edge and imo those should be pretty high on the priority list.  not sure about just letting perriman and hewitt walk.  perriman had a pretty good night and shows some good ability when paired with a qb who can get him the ball.  the jets just don't have much depth at lb and there are reasons to believe mosely won't be coming back with the same fire as before he opted out.

Yea I think LB, CB, and Edge are going to be areas of need. LB is one I attempted to address but a bad Mosley could certainly throw that for a bigger loop. CB and Edge are positions I would like with the Seattle pick but if it's 28+ it may be tough to find a legit starter at such a premium position. 

[Jetster]

1 hour ago, rangerous said:

not liking so many wr's.  they need a shut down corner and edge and imo those should be pretty high on the priority list.  not sure about just letting perriman and hewitt walk.  perriman had a pretty good night and shows some good ability when paired with a qb who can get him the ball.  the jets just don't have much depth at lb and there are reasons to believe mosely won't be coming back with the same fire as before he opted out.

If you sign Allen Robinson & then you draft Devonta Smith, Crowder goes bye, bye. 10.5 million savings on the salary cap to get a CB in here! I’d like to try & trade a #4 to the Saints for Marshon Lattimore if he’d agree to sign with the Jets for 3 years. You’d have Bless & Hall fighting it out for the #2 CB spot. 
Love the Free Agent targets- I had the same guys- Thuney- Robinson- Dupree though I do agree with someone earlier who doesn’t like giving crazy money to a Guard. 
We do have to see what we have in Clark, McGovern is signed & if we go Creed Humphrey or another Center in this draft we COULD use the money we’d spend on Thuney to solidify the defense (after watching last night we need all the help we can get). 
Hard to score points when the other team has the ball for over 21 minutes of a half. 

[rangerous]

1 hour ago, Jetster said:

If you sign Allen Robinson & then you draft Devonta Smith, Crowder goes bye, bye. 10.5 million savings on the salary cap to get a CB in here! I’d like to try & trade a #4 to the Saints for Marshon Lattimore if he’d agree to sign with the Jets for 3 years. You’d have Bless & Hall fighting it out for the #2 CB spot. 
Love the Free Agent targets- I had the same guys- Thuney- Robinson- Dupree though I do agree with someone earlier who doesn’t like giving crazy money to a Guard. 
We do have to see what we have in Clark, McGovern is signed & if we go Creed Humphrey or another Center in this draft we COULD use the money we’d spend on Thuney to solidify the defense (after watching last night we need all the help we can get). 
Hard to score points when the other team has the ball for over 21 minutes of a half. 

totally agree on clark.  this guy has got to get on the field.  every position they can fill for next season now just helps out the planning for the draft and free agency.

[BettyBoop]

On 11/9/2020 at 2:29 PM, bla bla bla said:

Jets finish the season 0-16 or 1-15 with the #1 overall pick. The Jags are the biggest threat to the Jets in terms of #1 pick but based on how we saw Luton play I think they squeak out a game over the course of the rest of the season. Woody Johnson comes home and fires Adam Gase, taking the heat off of Christopher Johnson and Joe Douglas.

 

Coaching Staff

 HC - Greg Roman, he's a NJ guy (Atlantic City) and has had a hand in developing/designing offenses around his starting QBs most notably Andrew Luck, Alex Smith, Collin Kaep, Tyrod Taylor, & Lamar Jackson. Has never finished worse than 5th in interceptions thrown, in 4 of 7 seasons his teams have been top 5 in points scored, and all but 1 season they've been top 10 in giveaways. Oh and did I mention he was the Ravens OL assistant while Joe Douglas was scouting with Baltimore.

 OC - Mike Kafka, Eric Bieniemy may be the OC in KC but the guy I have my eye on in QB Coach Mike Kafka. When you watch Patrick Mahomes going to the sidelines it is Mike Kafka who is in his ear not Eric Bieniemy. While he hasn't been a playcaller before he doesn't necessarily have to take on that responsibility fully with Roman as the HC. Kafka will be able to spend his time grooming our new QB unlike the setup in our current regime.

DC - Chris Hewitt, he spent 8 years with Greg Schiano at Rutgers as the RB & CB Coach, 8 years with Baltimore as a DB coach and was promoted to Pass Defense Coordinator this year with the Ravens. He follows Roman to NY to take on a secondary in desperate need of a rebuild.

 

Salary Cap Space

Spotrac - $84M

OTC - $82M

The Jets are going to have $30m in cap space roll over into 2021, with the lack of fans in the stands the salary cap drops to the agreed upon floor of $176m. For arguments sake I am going to use the lower of these 2 numbers given by OTC/Spotrac giving us a starting point of $82M.

 

Cuts

DE - Henry Anderson - $8.2m in savings, has not lived up to his contract

**OT - George Fant - I'm torn on him, I don't want to weaken our OL but he leaves a lot to be desired. Jets have plenty of cap space to let this play out for 1 more year.

 

Our Own FAs

WR - Breshaud Perriman - Walk

S - Bradley McDougald - Walk

OLB - Jordan Jenkins - Walk

CB - Pierre Desir - Walk

LB - Neville Hewitt - Walk

LB - Patrick Onwuasor - 1 Year $2m - Same contract he had this past year, a familiar face for CJ Mosley and a cheap stand in until a replacement can be found

K - Sam Ficken - ERFA - 1 Year $850k - have been pleasantly surprised with Ficken this year, not tied to this signing would be fine with Castillo under the same contract.

WR - Jeff Smith - ERFA - 1 Year $780k - Speed kills and Jeff Smith has a lot of it. With the Jets in need of WR help I think we hold onto a cheap option to see how he gels with the new staff.

WR - Vyncint Smith - RFA - 1 Year $2.3m (Original Round Tender) - More than I'd like to spend on Smith since he wasn't healthy this season but I really like the upside for the same reasons I retained Jeff Smith.

Slot CB - Brian Poole - 2 Years $12m - He's easily been the best member of our secondary, I'd be willing to up our price to keep him if it comes to it but I think he will show loyalty to the Jets and resign.

FS - Marcus Maye - 3 Years $30m - This contract could definitely be lower but we may have to overpay to retain his services. I think he'll try to return home to Florida and play for former HC Todd Bowles or possibly to Miami. Jets need to start retaining some of their own players and Maye has been a leader for this team in the wake of Jamal leaving. This contract would make him the 12th highest paid safety.

 

Salary Cap = $68m

 

Free Agents

 WR - Allen Robinson II - 5 Years $100m - Let's face it the Jets need WR help and we are not an attractive destination heading into FA. The threat of Trevor Lawrence pulling an Eli is still very real in Jets fans minds. While I think there is a very small chance it happens the Jets should be looking to make this landing spot look as good as possible. As for Robinson, he gets the same deal Cooper got (it does allow for an out after 2 years) but the Jets pay a premium for a WR who has been lights out over the course of his career with sub par QBs. 

LG - Joe Thuney - 4 Years $60m - This was the big FA I expected the Jets to land last season prior to his franchise tag with the Patriots. I think Joe Douglas will be dialed in again this offseason. Continue to build the OL, an area that was sorely lacking with Sam. Thuney did not commit a penalty during the entire 2019 campaign and has only 2 this season. Oh and this guy has never missed a start. In this situation I'd look to slide Alex Lewis to RG.

 EDGE - Romeo Okwara - 3 Years $27m - I was a big fan of Julian Okwara last year who is also a member of the Detroit Lions. Romeo initially started his career with the NY Giants as an UDFA. This is a sizable leap in contract for him but again, Jets are not an attractive landing spot. Had 7.5 Sacks in 2018, 1.5 Sacks in 2019 (arrival of Trey Flowers), and has 5 Sacks in 8 games in 2020. Jets will have an out after 1 season if things head south but they roll the dice on a promising young Edge Rusher.

 

Salary Cap = $24m - We'll need to save ~$8m just to sign our draft class, leaving us $16m available to make in-season trades or potentially swing a 2022 late round pick for a player that could be cut before the start of the 2021 season.

 

NFL Draft

 1A) QB - Trevor Lawrence - Clemson - This is the generational talent that we have heard about all season long. At 6'6" he is the perfect combination of Height, Strength, Speed, and Smarts. There have only been 2 QBs in the history of the NFL to refuse to play for the team that drafted them Elway and Eli, and while the threat of that happening to the Jets should be a small thought, I think it is drastically overblown. Assuming he'll play here this will be the easiest pick in the draft.

1B) WR - DeVonta Smith - Alabama - That's right 3 WR Smiths on this team. The dude has wheels and would be a much needed shot in the arm. Imagine a WR core of Robinson II, Mims, Smith, Crowder as your top 4 weapons? Douglas decided to go all in on offense and surround his shiny new QB with the best weapons he can.

2A) RB - Kenny Gainwell - Memphis - I really would love Travis Etienne but I get the feeling he doesn't make it out of the first round. I don't like the idea of spending a #1 on a RB because of how high that 5th year option will be, but first pick in the 2nd round is a sweet spot for me. Gainwell opted out of the 2020 season after losing 4 family members to COVID19. He is elite out of the backfield and isn't afraid to burst through the OL. He feels very much like Kamara and will be an elite option in the backfield.

 

*TRADE* The Jets trade Sam Darnold to the Pittsburgh Steelers/NO Saints in return for a 2nd Round Pick

 

2B) RT - Daniel Faalele - Minnesota - at 6'9 400 lbs we'd have the largest pair of OTs the league has ever seen. He has only been playing football for 3 years so there is a ton of room to grow. It's not a sure thing that the Faalele will come out this year since he opted out due to COVID. He may decide to return for his senior season. However if he does this is exactly the type of prospect that I'd love to add to our OL.

3A) EDGE - Joe Tryon - Washington - He opted out because the Pac-12 wasn't supposed to play until Spring (they decided to start playing in Nov instead) The Jets haven't had a serious EDGE presence since John Abraham. Tryon may not provide that right out of the gate but the Jets have to start attempting to solve this decade long problem.

3B) CB - Asante Samuel Jr. - Florida State - This name may sound familiar and that's cause he is the son of former NFL CB Asante Samuel. He is not afraid to tackle and has a knack for breaking up passes. 

4) G/C - Alec Lindstrom - Boston College - Connor McGovern had a down year in 2020 but I think it may have more to due with coaching scheme than anything else. Top 10 Centers don't just fall to the bottom of the ranks in one season. I'd like to give him 1 more year in a new system before moving on from him. The 4th round is the perfect spot to snag a replacement to groom while we figure McGovern out. Again this player has a family history in the league with brother Chris going in the first round in 2019 and his Father also playing in the league.

5A) LB - Nate Landman - Colorado - Nicknamed "The Hammer" the guy flies all over the field, I would not expect him to start on defense right away but he could see a hefty amount of time on ST

5B) S - Damar Hamlin - Pitt - Another add to the secondary that we can groom and can contribute on ST

6) OLB - Shaka Toney - Penn State - Plays LB at Penn State but projects as an OLB in the NFL. Perhaps we can find a steal in the later rounds to assist with our pass rush but worst case scenario he is a solid tackler on ST.

 

 

I'm sure draft grades will change and some may go way higher or way lower but that's my initial Mock Offseason.

 

Excellent post.  I would be quite happy with that draft.  I would also consider signing Bud Dupree if he shakes loose from Pitt.  Also wouldn’t mind a top CB in free agency.