Jets general manager Joe Douglas confirmed the team will not use the franchise tag on Bryce Huff this offseason but that the ideal situation is the Jets are able to re-sign Huff.
“Obviously Bryce, unbelievable season,” Douglas said, via the Jets’ official website. “A great teammate, great player and a player that is very deserving to find out what his value is in the open market. The plan is not to tag Bryce at that 21-plus [million dollar] number, but the plan is to continue talking with the agents. Ideally, Bryce is back. Ten sacks is a very valuable thing to our defense and our team. We’re going to have those discussions moving forward and we have a little bit of time before that tampering window starts.”
The tampering window Douglas mentioned begins March 11 at noon eastern. Free agency and the new league year officially begins March 13 at 4:00pm eastern.
Pro Football Focus projects Huff to get a three-year, $50 million contract with $35 million guaranteed. The Jets used Huff as more of a pass-rush specialist while Huff wants to get more playing time and see more snaps against the run. With less than two weeks before other teams can talk to Huff, time is of the essence. The Jets want to keep Huff but $21 million for one year is proving a little too costly.