The calendar is set to flip to July very soon, meaning training camps are right around the corner and the offseason is almost over. There isn’t much left for teams to accomplish with the season almost here, but there are still some items teams might be able to check off before things start getting real.
ESPN’s Field Yates recently went through each team and named one last move each team can make now that we are heading into the summer. The choices for the Jets are pretty obvious: get new deals done for QB Aaron Rodgers and DT Quinnen Williams.
Both players need new contracts — but for different reasons. Williams has emerged as one of the best players in the league and is due a massive raise over the money he is due in the final year of his rookie contract. The defensive tackle market has exploded this offseason, so he should land a deal worth at least $22.5 million per year. Rodgers, meanwhile, amended his deal to facilitate the trade to New York and is due $1.165 million this year and nearly $108 million next year. He isn’t making that little this year nor that much next year; the two sides will renegotiate revised contract terms in time.
The most overblown note people have made this offseason is the money for Rodgers over the next two years. Let’s be realistic here, everyone knows the Jets aren’t keeping Rodgers’s contract as it is right now. They will certainly re-work the deal.
The Williams deal is the one everyone is waiting for. He’s set to make less than $10 million this year coming off his 12-sack, All-Pro campaign in 2022, establishing himself as one of the best defensive linemen in the NFL. He’s ready to be paid as such. Ideally, this gets done before training camp so that there are no worries heading into the season. The last thing the Jets want is a contract dispute with the heart of their defense hanging over their heads.