ESPN writer ranks Jets offseason among bottom 10

[jtomm]

Billy Riccette  -  June 19, 2023 

 

The New York Jets went all in this offseason, knowing they have a strong roster but needed that piece behind center to really help bring everything together. They did just that by acquiring quarterback Aaron Rodgers from the Green Bay Packers while also adding Allen Lazard and Mecole Hardman as new targets to go along with Garrett Wilson.

There’s excitement surrounding the Jets, but one ESPN writer isn’t so sure that the Jets really did have a great offseason.

ESPN’s Bill Barnwell recently ranked the offseasons for each NFL team. Despite the addition of Rodgers, Barnwell placed the Jets in the bottom ten of his list, checking in at No. 23.

Barnwell does say that what went right for the Jets was upgrading to Rodgers at quarterback and making a big swing for the fences. What he doesn’t like is the price the Jets paid — 2023 pick swap, 2023 second, 2024 conditional second that likely becomes a first — to get Rodgers to New York as well as the money they will be paying him. He even makes an argument that, based on compensation (money and picks saved), the Jets maybe could have been better off with Teddy Bridgwater.

Here’s the full breakdown of how Barnwell viewed the Jets’ offseason:

What went right: They upgraded from Zach Wilson to Aaron Rodgers. I wrote all about this trade when it happened in April, but I don’t think this side of the equation is particularly complicated. The Jets were building around a quarterback who has looked hopeless for most of his career. Now, they have a future Hall of Famer who won back-to-back MVP awards in 2020 and 2021.Upgrading at the most important position in sports is essential. It’s even more important for the Jets, who haven’t had a player rack up a single MVP vote in 50 years or won a playoff game in more than a decade. Outside of the Bears, no franchise is more starved for a great quarterback. Rodgers won’t be around for long, but with New York returning an excellent defense and a compelling group of young playmakers, you can’t fault general manager Joe Douglas & Co. for taking a big swing.

What went wrong: They’re paying a lot for that upgrade. If Rodgers gets the Jets to a Super Bowl, nobody will care what they paid. We know they needed to upgrade at quarterback, but they also just acquired a 39-year-old quarterback who just posted the league’s 26th-best QBR, wedging Rodgers firmly between Matt Ryan and Russell Wilson. For that privilege, they had to do the following:

• Trade away their second-round pick in 2023 and what will likely be a first-round pick in 2024. If Rodgers doesn’t turn the conditional pick in 2024 into a first-rounder, it’ll mean he failed to play 65% of the snaps in 2023, which would be an even bigger disaster.
• Moved down two spots in the first round. It seems exceedingly likely that this deal cost the Jets left tackle Broderick Jones, who was poached by the Steelers in a move up to the 14th pick. The Jets landed exciting pass-rusher Will McDonald IV, but they sorely needed an offensive tackle, given the uncertain futures of Duane Brown and Mekhi Becton.
• Pay Rodgers more than any other quarterback in NFL history. Rodgers is expected to take home $60 million for the 2023 season. He would earn an additional $49.3 million if he comes back in 2024. In addition to him making nearly $110 million over the next two years, the Jets are incurring the cost of trading away first- and second-round picks, which are themselves worth millions of dollars. The cost of acquiring and playing him likely comes in somewhere around $130 million over the next two seasons, which is a staggering amount of money.
• Hope Rodgers doesn’t retire after 2023. The Jets are trading those picks for a player who considered retirement this offseason and might very well move on from the game after 2023. Giving up a first-rounder and a second-rounder and $60 million for one season of Rodgers would require them to win a Super Bowl to avoid making this one of the worst trades in recent memory. It’s even tough to make the deal work for anything short of a trip to the Super Bowl if Rodgers plays two years.
• Add Rodgers’ friends to come along for the ride. It’s possible the Jets wanted to hire Nathaniel Hackett as offensive coordinator. Maybe they thought it made sense to target Allen Lazard in free agency for $11 million per season. Perhaps they really loved the veteran presence of Billy Turner and Tim Boyle. OK, I won’t even pretend that they were going to sign Randall Cobb without Rodgers in the fold.

Rodgers doesn’t like the idea that he handed the Jets a “wish list,” but it’s clear the team made a series of moves to do whatever it took to make its dream quarterback feel more comfortable. Most of those moves are marginal: Cobb has only $250,000 guaranteed and might not make the roster; Boyle is going to be the third-string quarterback; and Turner is going to be the swing tackle.Well, Lazard is making $11 million per season over the next couple of years when the Jets might have used that money for Jakobi Meyers or JuJu Smith-Schuster, both of whom have been more productive. Hackett’s résumé away from Rodgers as an offensive coordinator or head coach has been middling to dismal, and he wasn’t the one overseeing the offense or calling plays when Rodgers thrived in Green Bay.

Yes, the Jets needed to upgrade at quarterback. Let’s say that they could have had Teddy Bridgewater, who has been perfectly acceptable for teams with great defenses in the past, with his tenures in Minnesota and New Orleans as recent examples. Bridgewater is nine years younger than Rodgers, has been beloved everywhere he has gone as a pro and is still available as an unrestricted free agent.Would you rather have Rodgers than Bridgewater? Of course, but that’s not the question. The Jets chose between Rodgers and (somebody like) Bridgewater, first- and second-round picks, the right not to have Hackett as their offensive coordinator and about $50 million in money to spend elsewhere on their roster per season over the next two years. If you don’t like Bridgewater, plug in Derek Carr and replace that $50 million with $15 million or so to work with per season, or Jacoby Brissett and an extra $40 million in money to throw around each year. You get the idea. Nothing short of peak Rodgers will make this work for New York.

What’s left to do: Figure out the Corey Davis situation. Once a prized free agent pickup from Tennessee, Davis has fallen down the depth chart in New York. The wideout is owed an $11 million base salary in the final year of his deal, but none of that money is guaranteed. The Jets can cut him to clear out cap space, but they’re likely hoping a team will deal with an injury and send them a draft pick to acquire the 2017 No. 5 pick.

Needless to say, Barnwell isn’t exactly a fan of the trade for the Jets. Time will tell if the trade does indeed work out for the Jets.

 >>  https://jetswire.usatoday.com/2023/06/19/new-york-jets-offseason-espn/

[JiFtheOracle]

Ah yes, Teddy Bridgewater would have definitely been the way to compete in the AFC.  Good take! 

[Dunnie]

The annoying part of this thread is that he MAY not be completely wrong. 

What he is choosing to ignore is the massive upside.

[FidelioJet]

Other than thinking Teddy Bridgewater was a good idea, he's completely correct in his analysis.  In fact it's rather kind. he didn't get into some of the biggest negatives of the off-season.

[Joe W. Namath]

What does colin cowherd think about the jets offseason?

[FidelioJet]

7 minutes ago, Dunnie said:

The annoying part of this thread is that he MAY not be completely wrong. 

What he is choosing to ignore is the massive upside.

I think he did a couple off times, seems like he made it clear it has big upside and no one will care that they got robbed if they get to a Super Bowl.  (for me an AFC Championship game and I'll view the move as a success)

but with New York returning an excellent defense and a compelling group of young playmakers, you can’t fault general manager Joe Douglas & Co. for taking a big swing.

 

If Rodgers gets the Jets to a Super Bowl, nobody will care what they paid. 

 

 

[rangerous]

Well, somebody clicked on it. I kind of think if this guy didn’t rate the off-season in the bottom ten it wouldn’t have gotten so much air play. Sure the price for Rodgers is high  but how this guy views the tackle position and how the jets view becton/brown et al. It’s very possible the jets did want Macdonald.

[Dunnie]

5 minutes ago, FidelioJet said:

I think he did a couple off times, seems like he made it clear it has big upside and no one will care that they got robbed if they get to a Super Bowl.  (for me an AFC Championship game and I'll view the move as a success)

but with New York returning an excellent defense and a compelling group of young playmakers, you can’t fault general manager Joe Douglas & Co. for taking a big swing.

 

If Rodgers gets the Jets to a Super Bowl, nobody will care what they paid. 

 

 

Ok .. maybe my wording should have been .... 'downplayed' the upside.

[Trotter]

The cost of the trade is what it is.

If the Jets go on to a playoff spot, possibly with the AFC East or beat teams such as KC, San Diego etc, I'm sure many of us will post here - but the cost of the trade - the win, playoffs and other success is nice - but that damn cost.

 

[FidelioJet]

5 minutes ago, Dunnie said:

Ok .. maybe my wording should have been .... 'downplayed' the upside.

Yeah, I think that's probably right. 

There is a lot more to like about the Rodgers move than he mentioned.  

[CSNY]

Personally I fine with the draft choices the Jets had to give up in order to get Rodgers, it’s just the amount of money he’s owed that concerns me and why I didn’t want them to pursue Rodgers. JD has assembled a talented roster the likes of which we fans haven’t seen in quite some time. It’d be a shame that after all the years of having a putrid team the Jets would not be able to keep the assembled talent together due to money owed Rodgers and have the suffering start all over again 

[Skeptable]

Its fine, the more these 'writers' sh*t on the Jets, the better their odds become in Vegas... 

I'll take it. I will take even more joy out of them sticking it to these hacks and people like Bit and Fid.

[Skeptable]

25 minutes ago, rangerous said:

Well, somebody clicked on it. I kind of think if this guy didn’t rate the off-season in the bottom ten it wouldn’t have gotten so much air play. Sure the price for Rodgers is high  but how this guy views the tackle position and how the jets view becton/brown et al. It’s very possible the jets did want Macdonald.

The tackle position that most people are not realizing doesn't matter as much as last year because they have a QB that understands how to read pressures and doesn't hold on to the ball for 7 seconds... (Yes on occasion he does but not like what we saw from ZW last year)

[The Crusher]

1 hour ago, JiF said:

Ah yes, Teddy Bridgewater would have definitely been the way to compete in the AFC.  Good take! 

I wish people would read through the articles before they post them 

[More Cowbell]

Personally I think the draft pick moves were the best thing JD did as far ad the trade. This was a weak draft and the pick next season should be a late first round pick. Also, I think there is a good chance Rogers plays another season here. He seems happy. 

[Bleedin Green]

Not sure I'd necessarily agree with the ranking, but that's purely subjective and can very easily swing wildly in either direction from best to worst depending on how this coming season goes.

With that said, the points are valid and in the end how the Rodgers deal works out is going to have a major impact on the view of this offseason and JD overall.  The rest of the moves, from FA signings to draft picks were otherwise unremarkable, even if not particularly bad, so it's heavily riding on that one move.  After all, if Rodgers struggles this year the odds are high you're not going to see much return out of Lazard, Hardman, or Cobb either.

Bottom line, they went all in on one guy this year and how that works out could just as easily make JD a hero as it could send him to the unemployment line.  Right now it's probably more of a "risky" offseason than anything, so it will be a question of whether that risk pays off.

[Bleedin Green]

5 minutes ago, The Crusher said:

I wish people would read through the articles before they post them 

That's asking a lot.  I mean... reading??? Words????

[rangerous]

18 minutes ago, Skeptable said:

The tackle position that most people are not realizing doesn't matter as much as last year because they have a QB that understands how to read pressures and doesn't hold on to the ball for 7 seconds... (Yes on occasion he does but not like what we saw from ZW last year)

Good point.  Every season there are teams with patchwork oline and they seem to work out especially if the qb is named Brady or rothlisberger or manning.

[Skeptable]

3 minutes ago, rangerous said:

Good point.  Every season there are teams with patchwork oline and they seem to work out especially if the qb is named Brady or rothlisberger or manning.

And even if Becton isn't top 5 RT and Brown is only avg their numbers will be much better with a QB that can call out protections and isn't running backwards extending plays for no reason. Plus beyond that they have more depth then last year, so they just need less then 7 tackle injuries like last year to be better.

[Trotter]

36 minutes ago, CSNY said:

Personally I fine with the draft choices the Jets had to give up in order to get Rodgers, it’s just the amount of money he’s owed that concerns me and why I didn’t want them to pursue Rodgers. JD has assembled a talented roster the likes of which we fans haven’t seen in quite some time. It’d be a shame that after all the years of having a putrid team the Jets would not be able to keep the assembled talent together due to money owed Rodgers and have the suffering start all over again 

You bring a valid point - the money down the road is a concern.

I was all in on rodgers  - still am and selfishly believe this is the best opportunity for the Jets to finally get back to a SB within the time left for me on this earth.

Keeping the young talent is a risk with the money but if they did not get Rodgers and went with Tannehill, Carr etc, the real possibility is they could have been a 9 win team and potentially those young guys want out in a few years to go to a true contender.

Hopefully it plays out the way we want, but your concern is real and can't be overlooked. With all that said, roll the dice and lets go.

[Skeptable]

8 minutes ago, Trotter said:

You bring a valid point - the money down the road is a concern.

I was all in on rodgers  - still am and selfishly believe this is the best opportunity for the Jets to finally get back to a SB within the time left for me on this earth.

Keeping the young talent is a risk with the money but if they did not get Rodgers and went with Tannehill, Carr etc, the real possibility is they could have been a 9 win team and potentially those young guys want out in a few years to go to a true contender.

Hopefully it plays out the way we want, but your concern is real and can't be overlooked. With all that said, roll the dice and lets go.

By the time they have to pay these young players Rodgers will be off the books not sure why everyone considers this an issue.  As long as they are under the cap this year and next, who cares.

[Bronx]

[jeremy2020]

I don't get the rush to rage that sports fans have that causes them to spend significant portions of their life seeking out someone, somewhere who said something that upsets them. Like just bookmark @kevinc855 to get your fix. 

[Beerfish]

Well what the Jets paid in the deal has little to do with an actual ranking of an offense so not sure about the connection.

Most of what he says in the article is 100% true through even of people do not want to hear it.

Rodgers is coming off his worst year since his rookie year.

Douglas got absolutely played in the trade negotiations.

If things do not go 100% great this year Rodgers could be one and done.  (Even if things go well he will put everyone through a total off season of drama so the team and fans begs and pleads for him to come back.)

We have added a lot of jag pieces of former Green Bay players and a coach.

Douglas and Saleh have certainly pushed all of their chips into the middle.

[bonkertons]

lol people still bringing up Broderick Jones as if the Jets would have taken him over McDonald even if he was there.  You'd figure this argument would be dead and buried after the 1JD video but I guess not.  Weird how a thing that wouldn't have happened anyway is a reason why this trade hurt the Jets.  

[Rich Thornburgh]

Of course the patriots fan ESPN staffer wants the jets to stick with Zach Wilson at qb

[Rich Thornburgh]

1 hour ago, Skeptable said:

And even if Becton isn't top 5 RT and Brown is only avg their numbers will be much better with a QB that can call out protections and isn't running backwards extending plays for no reason. Plus beyond that they have more depth then last year, so they just need less then 7 tackle injuries like last year to be better.

This. 

[Rich Thornburgh]

1 hour ago, Skeptable said:

Its fine, the more these 'writers' sh*t on the Jets, the better their odds become in Vegas... 

I'll take it. I will take even more joy out of them sticking it to these hacks and people like Bit and Fid.

Other day I saw a espn graphic of odds to win the Super Bowl and jets weren’t even in the top 10

[JiFtheOracle]

2 hours ago, Bleedin Green said:

Not sure I'd necessarily agree with the ranking, but that's purely subjective and can very easily swing wildly in either direction from best to worst depending on how this coming season goes.

With that said, the points are valid and in the end how the Rodgers deal works out is going to have a major impact on the view of this offseason and JD overall.  The rest of the moves, from FA signings to draft picks were otherwise unremarkable, even if not particularly bad, so it's heavily riding on that one move.  After all, if Rodgers struggles this year the odds are high you're not going to see much return out of Lazard, Hardman, or Cobb either.

Bottom line, they went all in on one guy this year and how that works out could just as easily make JD a hero as it could send him to the unemployment line.  Right now it's probably more of a "risky" offseason than anything, so it will be a question of whether that risk pays off.

 

1 hour ago, Beerfish said:

Well what the Jets paid in the deal has little to do with an actual ranking of an offense so not sure about the connection.

Most of what he says in the article is 100% true through even of people do not want to hear it.

Rodgers is coming off his worst year since his rookie year.

Douglas got absolutely played in the trade negotiations.

If things do not go 100% great this year Rodgers could be one and done.  (Even if things go well he will put everyone through a total off season of drama so the team and fans begs and pleads for him to come back.)

We have added a lot of jag pieces of former Green Bay players and a coach.

Douglas and Saleh have certainly pushed all of their chips into the middle.

Which team upgraded the QB position the most this offseason? 

[rex-n-effect]

Somebody in the media is always going to take the opposite position of whatever is the big story of the day. People can't help but click and find out why.

At the top of the article he spends time acknowledging he's bad at this and trying to congratulate himself for being right about three teams. Well, ok. Great journalism.

[UntouchableCrew]

"I don't think the Aaron Rodgers move ultimately works out for them" is a reasonable take.

"They overpaid when they could have gotten Teddy Bridgewater instead" is not.

[Sperm Edwards]

3 hours ago, Dunnie said:

The annoying part of this thread is that he MAY not be completely wrong. 

What he is choosing to ignore is the massive upside.

It's stupid.

Through the lens he's viewing, all moves are wrong for all teams if they didn't lead to getting to a super bowl.

If that's the argument he wants to make, then it's stupid to single out which teams were more wrong than others for not making it. 

Especially while touting Teddy Bridgewater as a serious alternative to the starting QB role.

[Jetsfan80]

3 hours ago, Dunnie said:

The annoying part of this thread is that he MAY not be completely wrong. 

What he is choosing to ignore is the massive upside.

No, he isn't remotely correct.  Barnwell sucks.

[Jetsfan80]

3 hours ago, CSNY said:

Personally I fine with the draft choices the Jets had to give up in order to get Rodgers, it’s just the amount of money he’s owed that concerns me and why I didn’t want them to pursue Rodgers. JD has assembled a talented roster the likes of which we fans haven’t seen in quite some time. It’d be a shame that after all the years of having a putrid team the Jets would not be able to keep the assembled talent together due to money owed Rodgers and have the suffering start all over again 

This is fair.  I just don't think there's much reason to worry about it until the bill comes due.  Teams have navigated the cap effectively for a long time in worse scenarios.

[sciond]

The part that is true is the massive over pay for a 39+ yr old QB...

But Teddy? Really?