Following Disastrous 2022 on O-Line, Jets Should Consider Retaining a Healthy George Fant

[JetNation]

If the Jets took one thing away from this past season other than the importance of quality quarterback play, it should have been how fast things can spin out of control without depth along the offensive line.  Beleaguered by injuries, the Jets seemed to field a different offensive line combo every week in 2022.  Even if the team plans on taking a tackle with one of their to two picks this offseason, that won’t be enough.

The Jets were hit particularly hard at tackle where they lost starter Mekhi Becton before the season kicked off.  Becton’s replacement, Duane Brown then went down with an injury for several weeks before playing any meaningful snaps.  In the end, the Jets would go through Becton, Brown, George Fant, Max Mitchell, Alijah Vera Tucker who had moved over from guard, Cedric Ogbuehi, Conor McDermott and Mike Remmers.  That’s a total of eight offensive tackles playing significant snaps at one point or another.

Of that group, the only true tackle sure to return is Becton, whose injury woes are well documented. Brown, at his advance age, could consider retirement and Fant is due to become a free agent.  Vera-Tucker will likely move back to guard and the rest are already gone or likely to go.

With this being the case, the Jets should consider bringing Fant back on a team-friendly deal.  The tackle was hoping for a hefty pay raise after playing at a high level in 2021 but his injury ravaged season all but guarantees that won’t be happening.

If that means Fant, who has played both left and right tackle, can return as a backup at both spots, the Jets would be foolish not to consider it.

The post Following Disastrous 2022 on O-Line, Jets Should Consider Retaining a Healthy George Fant appeared first on JetNation.com (NY Jets Blog & Forum).

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[Claymation]

No they shouldn't

[#27TheDominator]

I don't mind it, if he is cheap enough.  This is the kind of thing where I agree we should not be looking to pay him or lean on him as a starter, but next November when everybody is hurt we will be upset if we look around for what we should have done in March and say "Look, Fant is only getting $3M to start for the Ravens!"

[bonkertons]

Hard disagree.  If anything we need to upgrade his spot using the #13 pick.  The OL should be drastically improved next year just by being healthy.  AVT, Becton, Mitchell.  Add in another 1st and it could actually be half-way decent.  

 

...and YES I believe in Big Ticket 

 

[32EBoozer]

Depends on the $$$$$$$$

If it’s more than a 1 year/$4m deal I’d pass and just continue to draft 4th or 5th round Tackle every year & develop.

[Dcat]

Will he accept something closer to back-up money?  Because at most, I'd want him for depth.  Would be worth it for that depending on price.  Depends on who JD has targetted in FA as well, and we have no idea who his targets will be yet.

[AFJF]

33 minutes ago, #27TheDominator said:

I don't mind it, if he is cheap enough.  This is the kind of thing where I agree we should not be looking to pay him or lean on him as a starter, but next November when everybody is hurt we will be upset if we look around for what we should have done in March and say "Look, Fant is only getting $3M to start for the Ravens!"

Exactly this.

[chirorob]

35 minutes ago, 32EBoozer said:

Depends on the $$$$$$$$

If it’s more than a 1 year/$4m deal I’d pass and just continue to draft 4th or 5th round Tackle every year & develop.

Thats the way it works.

Would he be a good backup?  Yup.

Will he play for backup money?  That's the question.

[Untouchable]

Hell no

I’d rather go after a dude like McGlinchey over bringing back Fant.

[maury77]

4 minutes ago, Untouchable said:

Hell no

I’d rather go after a dude like McGlinchey over bringing back Fant.

Fant isn't giving you anything more than Mitchell does at this point. Fant can take a hike. 

[Hael]

18 minutes ago, maury77 said:

Fant isn't giving you anything more than Mitchell does at this point. Fant can take a hike. 

That's really a medical decision.  How much was Fants dropoff a result of his injury. 

Only the Jets could know, and their medical unit are highly competent professionals.  Therefore i'm confident everything will be fine.

[Bronx]

Nope, Fant quit on himself and the team. 

[football guy]

If he wants to play, I'd much rather bring back Brown as a potential swing tackle/high-end backup instead. He + Becton, Mitchell, and a high draft pick make more sense to me

[Adoni Beast]

1 hour ago, football guy said:

If he wants to play, I'd much rather bring back Brown as a potential swing tackle/high-end backup instead. He + Becton, Mitchell, and a high draft pick make more sense to me

I would imagine that would be Douglas' plan. Give Brown the offseason to heal up.

I would assume Brown would start the season (if healthy) and a high OT draft pick settle into the starting role by midseason.

Any word on Mitchells' condition? Is this a potential long-term issue or he's on track to be ready for camp?

[C Mart]

2 hours ago, Untouchable said:

Hell no

I’d rather go after a dude like McGlinchey over bringing back Fant.

But can McGlinchey play LT?  Fant, if healthy, can play both LT & RT. 

[C Mart]

1 hour ago, football guy said:

If he wants to play, I'd much rather bring back Brown as a potential swing tackle/high-end backup instead. He + Becton, Mitchell, and a high draft pick make more sense to me

I agree regarding Brown.  The only issue would be Brown has never played RT..Not saying he can't with his experience.

[Be_a_Jet]

People really forget the other person has to agree too

[bitonti]

the Jets offensive line is reason number 1 why Aaron Rodgers won't want to play here

Their tackle situation depends on Becton. Yikes. Brown is old hurt, one foot in retirement. they don't have a center under contract. 

George Fant was always overpaid and also a free agent. Nate Herbig is also a FA. 

and they don't have the cap room to sign a mcGlinchey. In fact they need the 1st round pick to have any chance at a decent line. But GBP will want that pick in a trade. 

 

[BCJet]

I feel like Fant is a perfect example of a situation/player where sometimes the fans are just too close to the situation to be impartial.  Here is the timeline of Fant's jets career.

• Signed to a 3 year $27 million deal  - at $9 million per year he is the 21st highest paid LT and 9th highest paid RT.
• Upon signing, he says how much more comfortable he is playing LT then RT - JD drafts Becton (which is fine, Fant doesnt determine who we select) which requries Fant to play RT where he is less comfortable and he has an average year.
• 2021 he gets his first opportunity to stay at LT all season and has the best season of his career (definitely outplaying his salary)
• In 2022 he gets injured and struggles when he tries to get onto the field
• He will be 31 on opening day 2023 with very little mileage (did not play football in college )

In no way am I saying we do something like 2 years and $20 million but Fant is a respected player in the locker room who played hurt this year and can play both tackle spots.   I would not want to see him starting somewhere else because we didnt want to pay him $6 million on a 1 year prove it deal.  I dont see how he is going to accept $2-3 million when that is what guys like Eric Fischer and Jamarco Jones (whoever that is) are paid.  

Morgan Moses, who was in a similar situation to Fant, but who I feel is a worse player, got a 3 year Contract for $15 million (only 1 year guaranteed at $5.5)

[GKnight83]

If the Jets took one thing away from this past season other than the importance of quality quarterback play, it should have been how fast things can spin out of control without depth along the offensive line.  Beleaguered by injuries, the Jets seemed to field a different offensive line combo every week in 2022.  Even if the team plans on taking a tackle with one of their to two picks this offseason, that won’t be enough.
The Jets were hit particularly hard at tackle where they lost starter Mekhi Becton before the season kicked off.  Becton’s replacement, Duane Brown then went down with an injury for several weeks before playing any meaningful snaps.  In the end, the Jets would go through Becton, Brown, George Fant, Max Mitchell, Alijah Vera Tucker who had moved over from guard, Cedric Ogbuehi, Conor McDermott and Mike Remmers.  That’s a total of eight offensive tackles playing significant snaps at one point or another.
Of that group, the only true tackle sure to return is Becton, whose injury woes are well documented. Brown, at his advance age, could consider retirement and Fant is due to become a free agent.  Vera-Tucker will likely move back to guard and the rest are already gone or likely to go.
With this being the case, the Jets should consider bringing Fant back on a team-friendly deal.  The tackle was hoping for a hefty pay raise after playing at a high level in 2021 but his injury ravaged season all but guarantees that won’t be happening.
If that means Fant, who has played both left and right tackle, can return as a backup at both spots, the Jets would be foolish not to consider it.
The post Following Disastrous 2022 on O-Line, Jets Should Consider Retaining a Healthy George Fant appeared first on JetNation.com (NY Jets Blog & Forum).Click here to read the full story...

Horse hockey!


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[slats]

They should also consider not resigning him. Brown and Fant are both LTs, with Fant being been pretty ineffective on the right side. Becton can play either side. They need OT depth that can do that. Part of losing the OL coach along with LaFluer very well could’ve had to do with getting the most out of Becton. Still have Mitchell. Fant doesn’t really fit what they need. 

[Sammybighead]

You guys think there is any serious thought being given to move AVT to RT permanently? If they did that, I can see a scenario of becton/1st rd rookie competing at LT, Mitchell backing up avt at RT, and then scour back end of draft for a new center/guard while bringing in a guy like seumalo or powers...

[Sperm Edwards]

3 hours ago, #27TheDominator said:

I don't mind it, if he is cheap enough.  This is the kind of thing where I agree we should not be looking to pay him or lean on him as a starter, but next November when everybody is hurt we will be upset if we look around for what we should have done in March and say "Look, Fant is only getting $3M to start for the Ravens!"

I feel the same way.

I mentioned him returning not long ago, but part of it may be the bad blood he could be feeling after not getting the huge extension + pay raise he felt he deserved after 2021. So unless he just wants to be in this area & not move, or unless nobody offers him more than the league minimum or maybe twice that, I think it's an uphill battle to bring him back.

[#27TheDominator]

1 minute ago, Sperm Edwards said:

I feel the same way.

I mentioned him returning not long ago, but part of it may be the bad blood he could be feeling after not getting the huge extension + pay raise he felt he deserved after 2021. So unless he just wants to be in this area & not move, or unless nobody offers him more than the league minimum or maybe twice that, I think it's an uphill battle to bring him back.

Yep.  Exactly the kind of guy you let test the waters with a lowball offer to come back if he doesn't find anything he likes better.  Tannenbaum did that with guys like Ijalana and Bilal Powell and they ended up coming back.  If they get a nice deal elsewhere, cool.  They will count on the comp pick formula.  

[Sperm Edwards]

6 minutes ago, slats said:

They should also consider not resigning him. Brown and Fant are both LTs, with Fant being been pretty ineffective on the right side. Becton can play either side. They need OT depth that can do that. Part of losing the OL coach along with LaFluer very well could’ve had to do with getting the most out of Becton. Still have Mitchell. Fant doesn’t really fit what they need. 

No, but it depends how much. As Dom brought up, what if it's for the same $3MM that the team throws at Feeney every year. If he's not needed they may even be in a position to trade him at the deadline.

I like Mitchell but do have concerns that he could just miss a month or more without notice without even getting injured.

If it's pushing the same $9MM rate he's been playing at, no I wouldn't even consider it, as they just don't need him. I suppose they could keep him instead of Brown is all, but not both at that rate, and I've got a soft spot for Brown playing through his shoulder injury when he could've collected the same cash by getting surgery then instead of now.

[Barry McCockinner]

If he's not expensive he can be a nice backup swing tackle. Probably an after the draft type signing.

[BornJetsFan1983]

8 hours ago, JetNation said:

If the Jets took one thing away from this past season other than the importance of quality quarterback play, it should have been how fast things can spin out of control without depth along the offensive line.  Beleaguered by injuries, the Jets seemed to field a different offensive line combo every week in 2022.  Even if the team plans on taking a tackle with one of their to two picks this offseason, that won’t be enough.

The Jets were hit particularly hard at tackle where they lost starter Mekhi Becton before the season kicked off.  Becton’s replacement, Duane Brown then went down with an injury for several weeks before playing any meaningful snaps.  In the end, the Jets would go through Becton, Brown, George Fant, Max Mitchell, Alijah Vera Tucker who had moved over from guard, Cedric Ogbuehi, Conor McDermott and Mike Remmers.  That’s a total of eight offensive tackles playing significant snaps at one point or another.

Of that group, the only true tackle sure to return is Becton, whose injury woes are well documented. Brown, at his advance age, could consider retirement and Fant is due to become a free agent.  Vera-Tucker will likely move back to guard and the rest are already gone or likely to go.

With this being the case, the Jets should consider bringing Fant back on a team-friendly deal.  The tackle was hoping for a hefty pay raise after playing at a high level in 2021 but his injury ravaged season all but guarantees that won’t be happening.

If that means Fant, who has played both left and right tackle, can return as a backup at both spots, the Jets would be foolish not to consider it.

The post Following Disastrous 2022 on O-Line, Jets Should Consider Retaining a Healthy George Fant appeared first on JetNation.com (NY Jets Blog & Forum).

Click here to read the full story...

bring back fant 100

[IndianaJet]

9 minutes ago, Sammybighead said:

You guys think there is any serious thought being given to move AVT to RT permanently? If they did that, I can see a scenario of becton/1st rd rookie competing at LT, Mitchell backing up avt at RT, and then scour back end of draft for a new center/guard while bringing in a guy like seumalo or powers...

Nope...I think the Jets plan is to have Mitchell play RT as the starter, with some combination of Brown/Becton/1st Round pick playing LT.

[Sperm Edwards]

2 minutes ago, IndianaJet said:

Nope...I think the Jets plan is to have Mitchell play RT as the starter, with some combination of Brown/Becton/1st Round pick playing LT.

Rodgers plays QB. Duh.

[bitonti]

24 minutes ago, BCJet said:

• He will be 31 on opening day 2023 with very little mileage (did not play football in college )

George Fant used to have very little mileage. Before the Jets signed him 3 years ago. Now he's on the wrong side of thirty and coming off a chronic knee injury that lingered through two seasons 

[rangerous]

I don’t know about fant. He had a good 2001 at lt but how much of that was playing next to avt? I don’t know how they put these olives together but it seems like they broke what worked by moving avt and fant to the right side and brown and Tomlinson on the left.  Fant hasn’t played a season without some injury cropping up.  He can be a spot starter or depth but that means a pay reduction.

[LAD_Brooklyn]

Fant did a good job to close out the season. Good in pass protection and was certainly one of the major problem why we could get the run game going. Certainly has been our best T the past two season. I prefer this team place together a phenomenal run blocking unit so we can use Breece like Henry and have our play action actually mean something. 

[NYJCAP2]

1 hour ago, bitonti said:

the Jets offensive line is reason number 1 why Aaron Rodgers won't want to play here

Their tackle situation depends on Becton. Yikes. Brown is old hurt, one foot in retirement. they don't have a center under contract. 

George Fant was always overpaid and also a free agent. Nate Herbig is also a FA. 

and they don't have the cap room to sign a mcGlinchey. In fact they need the 1st round pick to have any chance at a decent line. But GBP will want that pick in a trade. 

 

I think it’s a hurdle, not a deal breaker.

IMO the bigger question is do you bring back McGovern or not. He didn’t miss a snap, but at what price? Would you rather give Browns money to McGovern and only be out a LT?

 Realistically the Jets need a LT and C.

LT- ? cutting Brown saves $10M post June 1

LG - Tomlinson / Resign Herbig

 C - ?

RG - AVT

RT - Becton / Mitchell

[OilfieldJet]

1 hour ago, bitonti said:

 

Their tackle situation depends on Becton. Yikes. Brown is old hurt, one foot in retirement. they don't have a center under contract. 

 

 

No, it doesn't. Our tackle situation depends on our GM who *must* address the position. Relying on Becton as a starter or backup is delusional. I hope he comes back and starts every game; hope is not a strategy. 

[jgb]

4 hours ago, 32EBoozer said:

Depends on the $$$$$$$$

If it’s more than a 1 year/$4m deal I’d pass and just continue to draft 4th or 5th round Tackle every year & develop.

Exactly. Guy isn’t useless. There is a point where pay and return meet.