I think most people are missing the obvious. How can a team recruit quality offensive free agents without telling them who the QB is? Why would they join a club that can't tell them who they will be playing with or tell them it will be a rookie who they have never seen play? Many teams have enough money to shop high. They can only fake this story for a few more weeks.
This is true of every team with question marks at QB, I don't think it's as big a deal as it's being made out to be. Regardless, this isn't the offseason we're likely to make big splashes in free agency anyway. The best time to go big in FA is when you're a player or two away from competing for a Super Bowl. All of JD's comments during his tenure indicate he values the draft far more than FA anyway.
The Jets will go big for a guard and a wide out. They have the money now when some teams are scrapped. But no one will sign if they are drafting a rookie QB.
We may have a totally different definition of what "making a big splash in FA" means. IMO it doesn't mean necessarily signing one or two big name players to huge contracts. It sounds like that's what you mean, however. I totally disagree that this isn't the offseason that we're going to make big splashes in FA. Why wouldn't it be? We have a TON of cap space and are required to spend a chunk of it. There will be more players available this year than perhaps ever before, and prices should be cheaper due to so many teams not having cap space and having to cut players. We have a lot of holes, and have the opportunity to fill a lot of holes. Even with 9 draft picks, 5 of which are in the top 100, and may have 10-11 draft picks with another in the top 100 after we trade Sam, that's not enough to fill all of our holes. It would be malfeasance and negligence not to take advantage of this FA market and address a lot of our needs. JD could possibly sign a starting OG, DE, LB, WR and CB. He could sign two OGs. He could sign a RT and/or TE. There are a lot of ways he can go and then go BPA at position of need in the draft. If he trades for Watson, FA will become even more important this year. Yes, he seeks to build during the draft primarily, but the bottom line is he has to spend the money sooner or later, and there are lots of players available at positions of great need on the Jets this year. He has also said the they could be aggressive in FA this year if the opportunities and value were there. I don't think he'll go crazy like Mac and sign older players to huge deals, with the possible exception of a Thuney or Robinson, but I think he will be very active in FA this year. With the right moves in the draft and FA this offseason, the Jets could be a playoff team by December.
I really do not think the Sam-haters understand the HAUL the jets can get for trading down from #2-- Atlanta (4) , Carolina (8) and SF (12) ALL want Qbs. Wilson will be gone at 8 but not likely Fields. I think Douglas could trade down twice and end up at #12 with SF. He could get IMO 2 more first rounders in 2022 and 2 second rounders in 2021 moving down twice from #2.. The at 12, if you REALLY REALLY still don't want Sam, grab QB Lance at 12 or move down again and take QB Jones. My philosophy though has been the same--keep Sam and trade down and build the roster. Not sure Douglas will do that after his recent press conference.
If the Jets trade down to 4 with the Falcons, creating the impression they are keeping Sam and thus need to protect him, they could possibly get the Bengals to trade up from 5 for Sewell if the Fins don’t take him. JD could get two hauls and still pick in the top 5.
I like the way you think. The #2 pick in 2021 is WAY too valuable to use on one player. Douglas could trade down twice, and still draft 4-5 really good pros in the next two years with what he gets for the #2. Then he still has all the other jets picks to use also.
Are you suggesting it could turn out like this: 1. Lawrence 2. Fields 3. Chase 4. Sewell 5. Wilson, Falcons, 2021 2nd rd, 2022 1st and 2nd, and Cincinnati 2201 2nd rd + SF 2nd round pick for Sam D
We have a ton of draft picks and cap room. The GM has shown he does not value Sam with the team he surrounded him with this past yr. Sam is gone. With the second pick you draft the qb you love the most. We have plenty of ways to improve this team otherwise, but you need the qb. Even if Fields or Wilson become top 15 qbs it gives us a shot at being a very good team. If we keep Sam we hope he improves to Mitch Ts stats with the Bears, If JD is a good GM he should be able to build a good team out of everything left over after the 2 pick
I totally disagree. There is no player more valuable that a FQB, and if Simms is right about Wilson, he will be a star-level FQB. No two or three position players equal a FQB.
I don't think Fields and Lance have the attention of high pick drafters at this point. Neither of them has enough play time under their belt to be easily projectable at the next level. I think both of them could go in the first or early second but it seems unlikely they're destined for top 10 picks at this point. No combine means no inflection point where QB values flop and right now they're behind Lawrence and Wilson.
And if Simms is wrong about Wilson he won't be a franchise quarterback at all. Haven't we seen how that works often enough to stop making assumptions?
What? I would be very shocked if Lance and Fields were still on the board after pick #15 only because this is a QB driven league. Heck, if I were the Giants I might dump Danny pennies and draft Fields or Lance. Other teams would jump at the chance to get those guys if they fell out of the top 10.
Historically and by historically I mean up to the current draft, NFL teams have been reluctant to spend high picks on QB's with less than two full seasons of play and 30 starts under their belts. This puts both Fields and Lance into a category that has not been selected at or near the top of the draft. Obviously the pandemic is what limited Fields starts in 2020 and teams may be willing to overlook the fact that he has less than two full seasons as a starter when they make the choice. He would still have been under 30 starts in college with a full season last year. Note that the Juniors taken recently have been guys that made the 30 starts in college. Both Mahomes and Deshaun Watson were well over that figure when they were drafted.
That is a good thing for us then surely? Can we not trade back, pick up one of these two with the late 1st early 2nd and sit them for a year while employing somebody that knows the new system like Bleathard or even Sam, while that is happening we have also hopefully smashed the rest of the draft and have the makings of a good to very good team to develop.
Yes. Its highly unlikely that all the QB's drafted this spring will bust but there is a pretty decent chance that any 1 of them will. If the Jets drafted one of them, gave away Darnold, miss the opportunity cost of a big time player (Sewell, excellent WR/TE, trade down etc) and then the young QB didn't work out it would just be a horrible set back to the Jets franchise. Maybe not literally a death blow but leaning in that direction. So honestly that is the very definition of high risk. Doesn't mean that drafting a QB might not end up being the right move, or even a brilliant move. But Koopa is right and I don't even think its debatable, it most certainly sure as hell is high risk.
ive been away from it for a minute, if we were to trade back how far down would we be able to go and still get fields? is it consensus that wilson is the 2nd qb off the board at this point? im still all in for watson, probably will be until draft day. i feel like jd seems to get these kind of things done and we look and go wow thats not a bad deal for the jets. so im hoping on that right now.
Who is Simms, and why is his opinion dispositive? Phil Simms? And if we do take Wilson who you seem to love, do you start him day1 in 2021? Darnold has three years under his belt and is still just 23. And if trade down twice from #2, I think Douglas could get 4-5 decent players the next 2 years, not 2-3. You are wasting a HUGE opportunity taking a player at #2, when you an get a haul and the jets need WR, TE, RB. DB , OL, EDGE, and K. I don't think we will ever convince each other, and I respect your opinion, but I doubt Wilson or anyone else will do much better than Sam playing with the same lack of surrounding talent.
