With veteran left tackle Jason Peters headed to free agency, there is an obvious and natural connection to a potential fit with the Jets. Not only does Gang Green desperately need an upgrade on the offensive line, but Peters played for the Eagles during Joe Douglas’ entire tenure in Philadelphia.
Peters would fit a glaring hole if the team doesn’t re-sign Kelvin Beachum and his veteran presence would be tremendous for the Jets if they go heavy on young offensive line talent in the draft or free agency. Despite turning 38 this past January, Peters continued to be one of the best tackles in the league in 2019. He posted the sixth-best Pro Football Focus grade for a tackle at 83.4, ranked fourth in pass-protection and only allowed 25 total pressures in 13 starts.
With all the speculation revolving around the Jets’ search for a new offensive line, Peters could be an easy plug-in starter for a season with a cheaper, one-year contract. He only signed a one-year, $6 million extension with the Eagles in 2019 and PFF projects a similar one-year, $9.5 million deal with $8.5 million guaranteed. That’s a far cry from what free agent linemen like Jack Conklin or Joe Thuney would command and would give Douglas more flexibility to fill other holes across the roster.
Signing Peters wouldn’t preclude the Jets from drafting a tackle at No. 11, either. Peters won’t be able to play forever, and the Jets could tap into his veteran experience to help mentor whichever young linemen they draft, along with 2019 third-round pick Chuma Edoga. Peters is a nine-time Pro Bowler, two-time All-Pro and one-time Super Bowl winner. That knowledge is invaluable for young linemen and almost as important as his ability to block.
There are concerns with Peters, however, mostly revolving around his age and durability.
Father Time remains undefeated in the NFL and Peters showed signs of his 16 years and 195 starts in 2019. He missed three games in the middle of the season with a knee injury and has seen his snap share per game drop from 97.2 percent in 2016 to 92.2 percent in 2019. While that snaps drop isn’t enormous, it could signal the beginning of a slide for Peters’ health and production, especially since he also has only completed six full 16-game seasons in his entire career and missed 12 games over the past three seasons.
Douglas and the Jets are less than a year removed from the failed Ryan Kalil experiment and could be reluctant to bring in another aging, injury-prone lineman in a pivotal developmental year for Sam Darnold. New York can’t afford to waste any more money on a player who could underperform or not even play with injuries.
The Jets need to build a wall in front of Darnold and Peters would be a great building block for that wall. He’s experienced, can mentor young players and is significantly cheaper than other great linemen in free agency. However, signing Peters would be akin to signing Kalil in 2019 and could result in a similar outcome. Douglas cannot let that happen again.
Peters is absolutely a great fit for the Jets, but Douglas should have a true contingency plan – whether through the draft or other free agent signings – before allocating between $6-$10 million on a 38-year-old, injury-prone left tackle like Peters.