Been thinking about this. It's maddening how JD screwed up this whole situation. Instead of doing extension last year for a decent amount when we had leverage, like many people on this board called for, he just tendered him for a year and drafted his replacement at the expense of OT. So, because he fucked up in a major way, we now have a player who had 10 sacks for the first time in 10 years and is really the only reliable pass rusher we have. Unless his replacement (McD) really can provide insane pressure rate Huff had, losing him will hurt this team a lot. Huff will probably cost in upper teens - maybe 20 - annually and will demand a starting spot. We also cannot just pay him, bring him in, and have the same IDL. We can also tag him, so he cannot sign with anyone else, but that is 23 mil against the CAP. So, what should be done? To me, being put in this terrible spot, where we need to spend on offense, which JD ignored, and actually having too many Edge players, there are two plausible options. 1- Tag Huff and try to extend. Trade JFM and start Huff/JJ, with McD as #3, and Clemons 4. 2- Tag Huff and trade. McD will replace his role as JD originally planned. I personally prefer #1.
Unfortunately this is the box that our illustrious GM drafted himself into. Instead of getting someone who could have helped the cause last year (maybe another lineman or offensive playmaker), we had to draft a guy that ensures we have to get rid of a Pro Bowl caliber player at the same position. This is one of several situations that should have cost Douglas his job. It's almost as egregious as not having a backup QB for a 39 year old QB playing behind the shitty offensive line that he put together to protect that investment. It really is amazing just how lousy a GM Douglas is.
We can reduce it to 4mm average by throwing in 2 critical offsides penalties that keeps an opponent drive alive. This bitch would have to have the postive productivity of JJ Watt to make up for the negative influence on losses he has over a season.
Commanders have the most projected cap space. Once they get their GM and HC situations sorted, they will draft their new QB at #2 and open the vault for Huff. That's my bet anyway--they have to replace Sweat and Chase Young.
I just don’t get how you keep him when you think beyond 2024. So you extend him and don’t have a lot of cash to pay him next year thus kicking his larger payouts to 2025 and 2026. That’s when McDonald and Jermaine Johnson’s contracts continue to mature as first round contracts accelerate to higher cap hits as they age. JFM should be a goner regardless. The Jets also need to rethink their retarded must for playing guys only half the time on the defensive line. Saleh’s defenses using that strategy in San Francisco were pedestrian until Bosa got there.
There’s a good chance of this…feels like we’d probably either let him go and take the compensatory pick assuming he’d bring back something good if he signs for big money, but there’s also the chance that we try and do a tag and trade deal….honestly I’d love to find a way to keep him…I still believe you need a stable of good to very good pass rushers if you don’t have that one superstar like a TJ Watt or Nick Bosa type dude.
If the Jets re-sign Huff the CS and FO is even more incompetent than I thought-- which is saying a lot. Nice enough situational pass rusher, but not a high value on a team with a concept like the Jets, the D-line depth of the Jets, and the offensive priorities of the Jets.
Offensive priorities yes, but without Huff Edge pass rush wasn't good. And keep in mind majority of plays overall and higher impact plays are passing plays. Take a look at raw PFF #s: Huff: 67 pressures, 10 sacks in 334 pass rush snaps, pressure rate 20.1% JFM: 50 pressures, 3 sacks in 359 pass rush snaps, pressure rate 13.9% JJ: 56 pressures, 9 sacks in 445 pass rush snaps, pressure rate 12.6% McD: 12 pressures, 4 sacks in 99 pass rush snaps, pressure rate 12.1% Clemons: 8 pressures, 1 sack, in 157 pass rush snaps, pressure rate 5.1% Lawson: 2 pressures, 0 sacks in 59 pass rush snaps, pressure rate 3.4% Now, McD is the X Factor. He did well converting his pressures to sacks, but overall pressure rate was not special and sample size is small. Unless he can improve that rate, we are not going to generate much pressure on QB next year without Huff, who is far and away the best rusher we have both in pressure rate, total pressures, and sacks in spite of limited time. And imagine if Q is injured for some time? Then there will be very little pressure on the interior either. The point is, if you are a smart GM, you don't let a guy like this go. Huff's pressure numbers are elite and double digit sacks are the first time for Edge player on the Jets in 10 years. There aren't that many players with these #s and no injury history and none become available in FA market at 25 years of age. Which btw, is only a year older than McD. When we signed Lawson, he had a pressure rate of 15% and he was injury prone. Huff will get a bag this year, to me the move is to trade JFM, save 15 mil, and keep Huff as a starter next to JJ. With all the improvements JJ made this year, he is no where near the pass rusher Huff is, and they are the same age. Keep both of them as starters, trade JFM, and have McD as the 3d guy for rotation. Now that I said that, watch Huff walk away for nothing as a free agent, with JD recouping late 3d rounder in 2025...
I disagree-- and its not because I'm unfamiliar with Huff's stats, but becuase I think improving the offense is so much higher a priority given the Jets team. If you are a smart GM, you don't draft McD (too late)-- but if you do, and Huff has a lot of value for a guy who has never played 50% of the snaps, you get the value you can from him instead of paying a sum you can't afford, and you tell your defensive staff that they have to figure out how to pressure the passer with the two first round edge rushers you drafted for them. Then you establish an NFL caliber O-line and receiving corps.
Well said. But, we can’t make JJ S a SSDE. He’s just too small. Easy to say cut JFM but he’s 100% more valuable to the DL than JJ, Mcd, or Huff as all 3 are the same position if that makes sense. JJ wouldn’t sustain be the run. JD botched this in a major way. Best bet is to tag and trade. How much? That’s for him to decide. 3rd round tender if conservative. Ideally a 2nd
I have to agree and question what JD has put this team together roster and financial wise. Put so much $ on defense and returning players. No balance. Then the AR trade just makes it even worse now.
This in bold is the travesty. Do you remember last year when the Jets didn't even activate Huff 1st 3 games of the year? How our pass rush was shit? Then they more we played him, the more pass rush we got. He is 25 now, entering his prime. You can't just "figure out" how to pressure the passer. Not with the coaches we have, who may be good teachers, but are not creative schematically. JD would be an absolute imbecile to give up Huff now, even if we get a second round pick. Guys who can pressure QB at 20+% rate and get double digit sacks with no serious injury history are not available at 25 years old still improving. It does not happen. I challenge you to find me a free agent or even tag and trade for a 2nd in recent history who had 20+% pressure rate on pass rushing snaps, double digit sacks, at 25 years old or younger with no injury history. JD would be the 1st one to lose a FA like that that I can remember. There are these who came close, like Hendrickson, and these who lost them regret it. I get your point about offense. Trade JFM if you have to in order to offset the defensive spend. But don't fuck yourself by losing far and away the best pass rusher you have and it is not even close. Tag him and extend him. Or let him play on a tag if you can't. Once you tag him, and trade JFM, he will sign an extension at a higher guaranteed #. All he wants is a fair pay check for his talents and a starting job. We can do this by trading JFM where we save on defense. But don't let him go. All other spends would be focused on offense including 1st and 3dr round picks. Just don't lose Huff, JD, don't be a moron again like last off-season.
I think we all agree, but can we also agree that losing the best defensive players we have at premium positions is also idiotic? The way Collective Bargaining Agreement is structured is that we can control best players for 2 years as free agents. Fair or not, use this. Then if you want to save, move other players, like JFM, who had 3 sacks this year. We literally have one Edge guy in double digit sacks in the last 10 years, and the only guys who pressures at elite rate. This is not the guy you let go. JJ is under friendly deal is 25. McD is up and comer at 24. JFM is 27 and while still very good, he isn't likely to improve like the others. If we can't keep them all, we can probably get a decent pick for JFM and save 15 mil annually to use towards Huff. To me, it is obvious, just like it was obvious that GB would accept less in a Rodgers trade before draft deadline and that we needed to get more OTs. Unfortunately, things like this are not very obvious to JD, so I am concerned we will lose Huff this offseason, which would be a terrible mistake that will regress defense.
Which is probably why we'll lose him. JD is so clueless that he probably sees regression by our defense as a sign that the offense is making strides towards improvement.
