The New York Jets are no longer capable of making a splash in one of the biggest media markets in the world. They are dull, boring, predictable, and cheap. They are spending some money because they have to. They won’t overpay to get one potential star in free agency. Robert Saleh doesn’t have the name to draw top players, and Joe Douglas clings to his cap space.
Douglas could walk into a Rolex dealer in need of a watch, and take the one Movado they have in the display case because it’s a good value. That’s the way the Jets operate, and they’re improving at a snail’s pace.
I saw the players they signed. Upgrades for sure, but nothing that gives fans a reason to think they be anything better than 6-11 or 7-10 next season.
The two first two first-round picks in the 2022 NFL Draft will be nice. Hopefully, they take some potential stars. The players I am leaning towards are safety, Kyle Hamilton because of his closing speed. Next is the fastest wide receiver in the draft, Tyquan Thornton. Whether they take him at 10 or they trade down. He’s a good receiver, and they would have two fast targets including Braxton Berrios for Zach Wilson. As a safety valve, the newly acquired tight end C.J. Uzomah (who has had injuries the past two seasons), helps, but only with this type of receiving corps.
My last point is Douglas has no pull around the league. Not one player that I can recall has said I want to play for that organization because of the way Douglas runs it. That’s bad. The Jets are a Metro-based team that has the same impact as the Jacksonville Jaguars. Fans can dream all they want, but that’s a fact until the narrative is changed. How do you change it? By bringing in the best when you can, when they agree to play for you, maybe because you paid more than their price. That’s how it starts. What we’re looking at is a franchise putting all their eggs in Wilson’s basket. If he has another bad year, he could go the Sam Darnold route.
Douglas hasn’t extended any of his stars. The only way Wilson gets a big contract out of the Jets is with a surprise season. Is that likely? No, I’ll hope for it like the rest of the fanbase, but hope is not a plan……
