Jairus Byrd, Buffalo Bills -- Byrd tied the league for interceptions as a rookie, one of his two Pro Bowl years. The other came in 2012, suggesting he has the capability of making long-term contributions to a team. Major Wright, Chicago Bears -- A third-round pick in 2010, Wright advanced to a starting role for Chicago in 2012. He had 71 tackles last year, with four interceptions and eight passes defended. Donte Whitner, San Francisco 49ers -- Whitner is a hard hitter who's better in the box than in coverage. He may find himself the odd man out if rookie Eric Reid can contribute in San Francisco. Should that happen, the 2012 Pro Bowler shouldn't have much trouble finding a team with a spot for him. T.J. Ward: I keep telling people that the Cleveland Browns have a ton of talent, they just need a quarterback. Ward is another great example of that well-built roster. Not giving up on 2013 team at all just would like to know if you were Idzik if you would take a shot on our cap space on any of this guys.
Not wishing to derail your thread, but heres a nice shopping list http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...-rankings-for-best-available-at-each-position
I would rather find some more corners (let Cro go at the end of the season), but I don't think we need a SS - Antonio Allen fits the role fine. We need a Free Safety that can scan the field. Byrd is a headcase. Not a fan of these safeties really.
Campbell might be that guy for them. He's not flashy but I can see him solidifying the QB position and help turn this team around. I still don't think they win another road game this year and likely wind up with no more than 6 wins but they're a team on the rise and could be a factor in the division and for a wildcard spot next year. If the Jets can grab him I'd be happy.
Through the draft is also an option but its not all on the corners guys that we got torched the way we were , Rex wasnt blitzing with the safeties on the deep balls they just werent there or arrived late on the plays. Not saying the corners did their job but if it is double coverage they should be there ramming the receivers.
We really need a FS so much more than a SS. All of those minus Byrd are SS, and Byrd would be a mistake.
Anyone interested in Browner from Seattle? Maybe Idzik and Rex can convince him to leave Sea Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I think Tampa Bay will find $16 million too rich for a CB on a bad team. So a Top 5 player may be available
Just so you know, Donte legally changed his last name to Hitner. I am not kidding. I know he wants to emphasize the "hit" but he apparently didn't realize that his last name is now very close to that of a certain genocidal dictator who started WWII. Anyway! If I were Idzik, after this season I would trade or release: Santonio Holmes (generating $8.25m in cap space), Mark Sanchez (generating $8.3m in cap space), and Cromartie (generating $9.5m in cap space.) My reasoning is this: Holmes has not been the player he was for the Steelers, and lately his injury history is just too much to justify paying him much more than the vet's minimum, and this cap space is needed. Sanchez is not the future of the Jets, and since he won't want to be the backup at a $1.5m salary, I would let him go compete with Manziel or Bridgewater in Tampa Bay, Minnesota, Jacksonville, or wherever. Cromartie has been a terrific Jet, but his success has always been due to his ridiculous athleticism, not his technical skills. Age has caught up with him, and Cro' simply does not have the skillset necessary to adjust, and he has dropped from Pro Bowl quality to fringe quality in one year, so it's time to part ways and generate cap savings. David Harris could be cut for $5m in cap space savings, but he has upped his game and I think at $4m or so that he is due to earn next year, he deserves to stay on the team. Everyone else has small cap savings for being cut, or they're clearly good and cutting them would be unthinkable. I now have $26m in cap space. I'd extend Wilkerson, and try to lock in Coples at a bargain rate because his stats have not yet jumped up to their potential. That wouldn't affect 2014 because they're still under contract for 2014, but they'd probably get signing bonuses that would attribute a few million dollars to 2014's cap situation. So let's say there's $21m left in cap space after extending whomever. I would look for 2 mid-range, decent cornerbacks because I don't trust Millner or Wilson or Walls all that much (although Walls is the best of the three). That'd cost about $9m. My reasoning is that, with decent corners, and an amazing front, the defense should be incredible. That leaves $12m. I would then get a decent WR for $5-6m (I would also strongly consider taking a WR in the first round if it's a reasonable choice, otherwise I'd try to trade down in the first round) (that way you have the decent vet, Kerley, the rookie, and then Nelson and Hill and the other guys competing), leaving $6-7m. I'd use $4m or $5m to get the best safety I could, and then I'd have money from whatever guys don't make the team to use to sign free agents, and I'd keep the rest in reserve to replace guys who get injured mid-season, or sign whatever free agent running back or whoever. Some guys will inevitably leave, freeing up a little more cap space, enough that you can sign whatever placeholder guys you need for vet minimum contracts. This way, you'd keep the elite front-7 and maybe improve it a little with a second or third round pick on a OLB (and hope that Coples keeps improving), and you'd shore up the corners through free agency by getting some mediocre ones. You don't have to rely on Millner not being a bust. Then that mid-range safety helps against tight ends, and helps your corners, then the defense should be top-2 or so. With new/better targets for Smith, that should help him significantly. And you also want to make sure you draft some o-linemen in the middle rounds to add depth there, etc. With a strong offseason of prep, and working on his own with a QB coach, Smith should take a step forward and cut down on his mistakes. The Patriots will probably do whatever they can to get Brady some WRs / a Gronk Backup, but I don't know if his decline is solely from having bad WRs or if his age is finally catching up to him. If it's the latter, then 2014 could be the Jets' best chance to make a run at the division title.
logged in to say awesome post! Gave me a great rundown of what is most likely gonnna be our FA situatoin.
I don't think we should splurge in FA. Not now. We have way too many big salaries coming up. Our window isn't here yet. Maybe one mid-level signing (A FS or a CB maybe) but that's it. Build through the draft. Wait it out.
Thanks! I also forgot that there's also another ~$22m in cap space for 2014 already (beyond the ~$26m from those 3 cuts), but a lot of that will need to be used to re-sign some stopgap players. Still, $48m is huge. As I look at the numbers, I'm realizing that Idzik has done an amazing job at using this year to clear the books and free up tons of cap space for 2014 and 2015. A key for 2014 will be not overspending on big names, because there will still be a lot of areas that need improvement (CB and WR being the glaring examples.) I think Idzik will be smart about that. We also have to hope that Smith develops more in his second year, and that we can draft/develop some low-cost high-impact players (like Richardson who was a great 1st round draft pick; and Snacks, who went from "some UDFA with a weight problem" to "one of the best nose tackles in the league" after just 1 year of Rex & Dunbar's coaching.) So- between those cuts I mentioned and the cap space the Jets are scheduled to have anyway, we can get about $48m under the cap in 2014 without getting rid of anyone we really need. Add in 12 draft picks, including 4 in the first 3 rounds, and you can see why I'm feeling optimistic. 2014 will be about patching up the weaknesses and making the playoffs. 2015 will be about adding the last pieces needed to be real Super Bowl contenders. 2013 is about survival- winning enough games to keep Rex Ryan and hoping that Smith shows the potential to be the QB of the future.
