Jets make Tyron Smith signing official

Jets make Tyron Smith signing official

It’s official and it’s real. Tyron Smith, the longtime Dallas Cowboys offensive tackle is now a member of the New York Jets. The team made the signing official Monday.

No deeper details on the contract as of this writing but the basis of the contract is that it is a one-year contract worth up to $20 million. $6.5 million is guaranteed and $13.5 million can be earned via playtime and incentives.

The Jets swooped in late last week when the market on Smith was fairly quiet. The team themselves were surprised Smith took such a deal, but it s a huge win for the Jets who hope they at least have locked up their left tackle for 2024.

The addition of Smith certainly doesn’t stop the Jets from taking a tackle at No. 10 in April’s draft but they’re not completely locked into the position either.

The big story is the Jets have their left tackle position set for next season. At least they hope. Obviously the injury history is well-documented on Smith, who hasn’t played a full season since 2015. Certainly the Jets protected themselves against injury with this contract set up and it’s also why offensive tackle is still very much in play in the first round.

For now, the Jets will celebrate what they hope is a strong signing in March.

Contract details for new Jets guard John Simpson

Contract details for new Jets guard John Simpson

Over the Cap has the numbers on the contract for new Jets guard John Simpson.

Simpson’s deal is for two years and $12 million. Simpson gets $6 million guaranteed including a $3.5 million signing bonus and there are three void years to spread the cap hit over five years.

Simpson also has $1.02 million in per-game roster bonuses ($60,000 each game). Between that and his base salary of $1.49 million and a signing bonus cap charge of $700,000, Simpson will count $3.21 million against the salary for 2024. His 2025 cap charge will be $6.69 million. He leaves $2.1 million in dead money in 2026.

Not a lot of committed money to a player that likely slots into the starting lineup this season at left guard. Not a bad deal for the Jets and general manager Joe Douglas.

Washington WR Rome Odunze ‘ideal’ pick for Jets at 10th overall

Washington wide receiver Rome Odunze was named the ‘ideal’ pick for the Jets at 10th overall. Here is a look at why that’s the case.

With the Jets having addressed their starting offensive line through free agency, Joe Douglas has given himself some added flexibility to use the 10th overall pick on another position, specifically wide receiver.

Depending on how the board falls through the first nine picks, Ben Solak of The Ringer picked Washington wide receiver Rome Odunze as the ‘ideal’ prospect for the Jets at 10th overall.

“Rome Odunze out of Washington,” said Solak when asked who his ideal prospect for the Jets would be. “I like Rome better than (Malik) Nabers. I expect Nabers to go first, but Rome’s the guy I prefer. They’re both unbelievable players. It’s a matter of preference and taste.

“So if Rome is the guy who goes third among receivers, after Marvin Harrison Jr., after Malik Nabers, I think his floor is 10, and if he makes it down there, that’s an excellent pick.”

In what is a loaded wide receiver class, depending on what big board you are looking at, Odunze is either the second or third-ranked overall receiver, behind Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison and competing with LSU’s Malik Nabers for that second ranking.

Measuring in at nearly 6-3 and weighing 212 pounds, Odunze put together a very impressive NFL Combine, posting a near-perfect Relative Athletic Score of 9.92, which included a 4.45-second 40-yard dash, along with elite vertical and shuttle numbers.

Odunze can line up both inside and out, having played about 75 percent of his career snaps from the boundary. Over the last two seasons, he has been targeted 250 times, catching 67 percent of those passes at 16.5 yards per catch with 20 touchdowns.

After eclipsing 1,100 receiving yards in 2022, Odunze posted a whopping 1,639 yards in 2023. He also averaged almost 18 yards per catch and scored 13 times. Odunze was PFF’s eighth-highest-graded wide receiver.

Finding a legitimate running mate for Garrett Wilson was always priority No. 2 on Douglas’ offseason to-do list after reshaping the offensive line. The Jets’ second leading receiver in 2023 was Allen Lazard with just 311 receiving yards.

Naturally, having Aaron Rodgers back should bolster the overall offensive production for the Jets, but having a second receiver to lean on and who can compliment Wilson, will help take some of the attention off of Wilson. It will also force the defense to defend the entire field, creating more spacing for the Jets’ pass-catchers to operate in and opportunities for Rodgers to exploit.

“You look at the elite teams,” said Solak, “the teams that make deep postseason runs nowadays; you’ve got to have two pass-catching weapons that are headaches. You’ve got to have a Tee Higgins to a Ja’Marr Chase. A Brandon Aiyuk to a Deebo Samuel. Davante Smith to an AJ Brown. You’ve got to have two, and right now, the Jets very clearly have one in Garrett (Wilson), an excellent young player, but adding that second guy is important.

“You can do it through free agency, add an established player ready for Rodgers, or you can still do it through the draft with youth because these rookie receivers are walking in and producing like you wouldn’t believe these days. Rome Odunze would be a home run selection at 10.”

There are still a few free agent options available for the Jets to upgrade the receiver position, including Tyler Boyd and Mike Williams, who will be visiting the team on Monday. Similarly to the offensive line, signing a player like Boyd shouldn’t stop the Jets from selecting a receiver in the top 100 of the draft, but it would give them that coveted flexibility, so again, doing so would no longer be a must.

But with each passing day in free agency, it seems to be more likely that the Jets are going to have to address this need at receiver through the draft.

All offseason, given the state of the Jets’ offensive line, selecting a tackle with the 10th overall pick was considered a must. However, with the additions of Tyron Smith, John Simpson, and Morgan Moses, the Jets have gained some flexibility in terms of how they approach that selection.

As I wrote recently, those additions along the offensive line don’t mean that the job is done. In fact, taking a tackle at 10 is probably still the prudent move. But if the board falls a particular way, Douglas now has a lot more freedom to take a player like Odunze, knowing that he has his starting five for 2024 in place.

If the Jets do not take Odunze or any receiver at 10, their next selection doesn’t come until the third round at 72 overall–unless they were to trade down from pick 10. In what is a talented receiver class, there will be players available who can come in and make an impact right away. That’s something we’ve seen quite a bit of lately around the NFL.

However, as Solak points out, for every third-round success story, there are plenty of other draft picks that haven’t worked out either. In order to maximize the player’s potential and impact in that part of the draft, a perfect marriage between coaching, scouting, and the general manager, so everyone is one the same page, is required.

“It depends on how well you draft, right?” said Solak about finding an impact player in the third round. “We’ve seen Nico Collins come out of the third round. We’ve seen Puka Nacua come out of the fifth round. Tank Dell come out the late second round. You can go and you can find a guy because there are so many different body types at wide receiver; there’s so many different roles. If the coaching is good, and the coaching and scouting work hand-in-hand, the quarterback understands, the offense understands, there’s cohesiveness across the board, you can plug a rookie in and be immediately successful. You have to have that vision. You have to have that good scouting. It can be a bit of a hard window to hit.

“I love going wide receiver in the middle rounds. I think every team should leave rounds two, three, and four, and five with at least one receiver every year because there’s just so many guys and so many of them can hit late. So it’s a wonderful idea, but you have to have realistic expectations. For every name I said, there’s a Jalin Hyatt and a Cedric Tillman, and 13 other guys I can’t remember, Bryan Edwards, because they’ve all fallen off the map and missed. It’s a good dice roll to take when you get to those middle rounds, but you have to have realistic expectations.”

Jets’ OL is reshaped but should still be a priority in draft

In less than a week, Joe Douglas has reshaped the New York Jets’ starting offensive line, but that doesn’t mean the job is done either.

It’s been nearly one week since the NFL’s legal tampering period began, and GM Joe Douglas has reshaped the New York Jets’ starting offensive line. However, that shouldn’t mean that he’s done adding to a position group that will go a long way toward dictating the offense’s overall success.

The Jets entered free agency with Joe Tippmann at center and Alijah Vera-Tucker, wherever needed, as members of their starting offensive line for 2024. That meant that there were still three spots to fill.

Douglas would sign free agent John Simpson to be the left guard. He then traded for Morgan Moses, who will be the Jets’ new right tackle. Then in a bit of a surprise, Douglas landed top free agent Tyron Smith to be the Jets’ left tackle.

As I wrote about recently, having the starting five in place gives the Jets quite a bit more flexibility in how they go about the offseason, particularly in the draft. No longer is drafting an offensive tackle at 10th overall an absolute must, although it still may be the prudent move.

Unfortunately, injuries happen in the NFL, as the Jets are very much aware of after their offensive line, in particular, dealt with constant movement due to missed time. In fact, the Jets utilized 13 different offensive line combinations last season due to injuries.

As good as Smith has been at left tackle throughout his career – he is a four-time All-Pro – he has dealt with injuries. Smith hasn’t played a full NFL season since 2015 and has missed 37 games over the last four years, as The Athletic’s Zack Rosenblatt noted.

Moses is also coming off a season in which he missed some time, playing 70 percent of Baltimore’s offensive snaps.

Although nowadays, many view the draft as an opportunity to fix some immediate positional issues, and while it does allow for that, ultimately, if done right, teams are addressing potential future needs and planning for what’s ahead. Ideally, teams should be selecting players based on who they believe they can become, not who that player is at the moment.

Even if Smith and Moses stay healthy for the 2024 season, both are 33 years old and, contractually speaking, only slated to be with the Jets for one season. Simpson is also a relatively short-term answer at left guard, signed to a two-year deal, but I’m guessing the Jets could get out of the contract after 2024 if they decide to do so.

On paper, things look good for the Jets’ offensive line, and hopefully, it remains that way. However, part of Douglas’ job description is preparing for things to go sideways. On the roster at guard, the Jets have the experienced Wes Schweitzer, along with Carter Warren at tackle, who the team is quite high on.

This also happens to be an absolutely loaded offensive line draft class, particularly at tackle. NFL Network’s Peter Schrager mentioned that he could see a whopping 12 offensive linemen taken in the first round. Daniel Jeremiah, meanwhile, has seven offensive tackles ranked in his top 22 overall prospects.

So there’s a decent chance, whether the Jets are picking at 10, whether they trade down, or when on the clock at pick 72, an offensive lineman may be the best available player on their board.

Addressing the offensive line was, without question, priority No. 1 for Douglas and the Jets this offseason. In less than a week, he has done that, but that doesn’t mean the job is done either.

Aaron Rodgers out of running as Robert Kennedy Jr. reportedly going in different VP direction

We can put those Vice President Aaron Rodgers thoughts to rest.

The Jets won’t have to worry about their quarterback spending time on the campaign trail while trying to play football.

According to Mediaite, independent presidential candidate Robert Kennedy Jr. is going with California-based attorney and entrepreneur Nicole Shanahan (no relation to 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan) as his running mate for vice president.

From Mediaite: “Aaron Rodgers, the outspoken NFL quarterback who Kennedy had been considering as his VP pick, is out of the running, a source close to the campaign said. The prospect of his selection prompted concerns among donors to the campaign.”

The website www.kennedyshanahan.com was registered on March 13.

Rodgers and former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura were reported by the New York Times as being on the shortlist to be Kennedy’s running mate this electio, but Kennedy will go with the person who was behind Kennedy’s Super Bowl commercial in Shanahan.

While a campaign during football season would have interesting, to say the least, deep down the Jets have to feel relieved about not having any extra distractions in what is one of their most important seasons in years.

Keenan Allen says Jets were involved in trade talks for receiver

Keenan Allen says Jets were involved in trade talks for receiver

The Jets are meeting with former Chargers wide receiver Mike Williams next week. They also had conversations about another former Chargers wide receiver who is now in the Midwest.

New Bears wide receiver Keenan Allen spoke to the media for the first time since being traded to Chicago for a fourth-round pick and noted that the Jets and Houston Texans also had talks regarding the wide receiver.

It’s important to note here that, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, the Jets only had simple conversations regarding Allen. There were no serious offers made by the Jets. The Texans, however, were close to landing Allen. In the end, the Bears made the best offer to the Chargers.

The Jets would have owed Allen $23.1 million this season, including a $5 million roster bonus. The Jets do need a second wide receiver, so it’s interesting they at least put feelers out there for Allen. Could that be a sign they’re ready to strike on Williams if they get the opportunity? We’ll find out perhaps as early as next week.

Contract details for backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor

Tyrod Taylor is set to count just $2.8 million against the cap in 2024.

The Jets needed to come away from free agency with a veteran backup quarterback. They didn’t have to look very far, just to the other side of the town. New York signed for Giants quarterback Tyrod Taylor.

Contract details were shared by Dan Duggan of The Athletic. The deal is for two years and $12 million with $8.5 million guaranteed and a $4 million signing bonus. There are also $6 million tied into incentives, which would bring the total value of the contract to $18 million.

The Jets also added three void years to spread the signing bonus out. That amounts to just $800,000 per season. Taylor will count just $2.8 million against the salary cap in 2024 and $6.8 million in 2025. He’ll leave $2.4 million in dead money in 2026.

For comparison, Zach Wilson’s cap hit was $9.5 million in 2023 thanks to his signing bonus cap charge and his roster bonus.

A good deal at a spot the Jets desperately needed an answer at. They count afford another season like last year where they neglected the position and it cost them big time. Now they at least have a reasonable fallback option.

Jets land Tyron Smith on what seems like very team-friendly deal

Jets land Tyron Smith on what seems like very team-friendly deal

The Jets found their left tackle for 2024 and the early indications are that the Jets came away with a very favorable contract.

The early indication from Pro Football Talk is that the deal is worth up to $20 million but only $6.5 million is guaranteed. The remaining $13.5 million can be earned through playing time and incentives. Those playtime incentives start at 38 percent, per Mike Garafolo, so that is easily reachable, if he stays healthy.

This looks like a steal for the Jets. It’s a low risk because they initially don’t have that much money committed to Smith and they protect themselves in case Smith does get hurt, as he does have a bit of an injury history. Plus, he isn’t exactly a spring chicken. He’s 33 years old. At least that’s younger than Duane Brown, who was 38.

The Jets were even surprised Smith was willing to take such a deal but with the market getting a little quieter, the Jets swooped in and got their guy. Now, the Jets have their offensive line seemingly set, at least with the starting five.

LT: Tyron Smith
LG: John Simpson
C: Joe Tippmann
RG: Alijah Vera-Tucker
RT: Morgan Moses

Can the Jets put it all together? Can everyone stay healthy? Those are the biggest questions. But they’ve at least set out to do what they needed to and that’s fill the three open spots they had up front. Now it’s time to execute on the field.

Trading down in NFL Draft should now be on Jets’ radar

With their starting offensive line solidified, trading back from pick 10 should be on the Jets radar, depending on how the board falls.

If the New York Jets had to play a game tomorrow, their starting five along the offensive line would be intact following the signing of Tyron Smith at left tackle. 

With Joe Douglas having reshaped the offensive line in just a handful of days, this unlocks options for the Jets’ in the upcoming draft, which includes potentially trading down from the 10th pick to acquire more draft capital.

The Jets currently hold eight total selections, but only two of them are within the top 100–picks 10 and 72. According to Tankathon, the Jets rank 27th in draft capital value and are one of only two teams – along with Carolina – to be in the bottom 10 of the NFL in this category that didn’t make the playoffs last season.

Continuing to build depth along the offensive line should still be on Douglas’ to-do list, along with finding a secondary wide receiver option to pair with Garrett Wilson. Also, safety depth and pass rush depth are two other positions that could be added to as well. Finding immediate impact players in the draft at each of those positions is a tall task with only two top-100 selections.

Now, of course, trading down from the 10th overall pick is dependent upon how the board falls and how Douglas views the prospects that are available at key positions.

For example, perhaps both Joe Alt and Taliese Fuaga are off the board and with this being a loaded offensive tackle class, which includes Daniel Jeremiah having seven of his top 22 overall prospects playing that position, maybe the Jets would choose to move down, take an offensive tackle a few picks later and acquire some additional draft capital along the way.

The same idea could be applied to the receiver position. Like offensive tackle, this is a very deep draft class at the position, and if Malik Nabers and Rome Odunze aren’t available at 10, maybe the Jets will look to move back.

To get an idea of what the Jets could acquire by trading down, let’s take a look at the 2024 trade value chart. While there are a few different models out there today, this general concept was created by Jimmy Johnson when he was the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys. The chart assigns a value to each selection in the draft to help quantify whether a trade is fair or not.

Let’s say the Raiders want to trade up from pick 13. Using the value chart as our guide, the Jets would have to give up pick 135 in addition to moving from pick 10 to 13, but could potentially acquire the Raider’s 77th overall pick, now giving the Jets two third-rounders.

If the Jets were to drop back to 15th overall in a swap with the Colts, they could possibly acquire picks 82 and 117, giving the Jets two third-round selections and three in the fourth-round, which could then be used to trade back up at some point.

Lastly, I’m not sure how willing the Jets would be to move back to 18, but for the sake of getting an idea of what they could get in return, let’s take a look. This move could get the Jets back into the second-round, landing the 49th pick overall in return from Cincinnati.

As I mentioned, whether or not this happens is dependent upon a number of variables that are currently unknown.

However, with how Douglas has addressed the offensive line in free agency, the Jets now have an immense amount of flexibility and options in regard to how they go about the draft. Considering that they still have somewhat limited draft capital, trading back from pick 10 should be one of those options.

Compensation updates for Isaiah Oliver, Chuck Clark, Kenny Yeboah, Jake Hanson

Compensation updates for Isaiah Oliver, Chuck Clark, Kenny Yeboah, Jake Hanson

Thanks to ESPN’s Rich Cimini, we have dollar figures for a handful of recent signings for the New York Jets.

The Jets gave one-contracts to the following players:

CB Isaiah Oliver
Safety Chuck Clark
TE Kenny Yeboah
OG Jake Hanson

The total compensation for all four players is only about $6 million. Here are those figures:

Oliver: $2.5 million ($2.2 million guaranteed)
Clark: $2 million ($705,000 guaranteed)
Yeboah: $1.4 million ($225,000 guaranteed)
Hanson: $1.1 million ($45,000 guaranteed)

With those deals now included, Over the Cap has the Jets sitting at about $22 million in cap space. Keep in mind, this is still without the numbers for Tyron Smith and Tyrod Taylor, so that number will change very soon.