How the new CBA impacts Sam Darnold’s future earnings

The NFL’s new collective bargaining agreement has a profound impact on Sam Darnold’s upcoming fifth-year option.

If Sam Darnold wants to maximize how much money he can make once it comes time for the Jets to pick up his fifth-year option, he is going to have to take his game up a notch the next two seasons.

Under the old CBA, the monetary value of fifth-year options was based on draft position. That is no longer case, as the language of the new CBA states that fifth-year options are now fully guaranteed and based on performance for players drafted later than 2018.

Darnold falls into that category, meaning his fifth-year option will be based solely on in-game performance and not his third overall draft slot.

There is a chance Darnold’s fifth-year option language never comes into play for the Jets. If Darnold reaches his potential and performs at a new level the next two seasons, odds are New York will look to lock him up as it is currently doing with All-Pro safety Jamal Adams. However, if the Jets and Darnold cannot come to terms on a contract extension before the time to pick up his fifth-year option rolls around, he will still be in line to earn a hefty amount of money if his performance warrants it.

The new CBA language can also work against Darnold. If the USC product either keeps performing as he has been or regresses to the point where the Jets need further time to evaluate him, New York could elect to exercise the fifth-year option at a much cheaper rate than it would have cost when option salaries were based on draft position.

Fifth-year options now being based on performance incentivizes teams to get contract extensions done with their younger players before being forced to pay a more than desired amount on the option. It also affords teams the opportunity to keep players that have not quite come around yet at much cheaper salaries than previously before.

Which end of the spectrum Darnold falls under remains to be seen. Either way, the new CBA has a profound impact on his earning potential moving forward.

NFL.com sees Bills QB situation trending in right direction

The Buffalo Bills are trending in the right direction at quarterback, according to NFL.com

NFL.com explored the quarterback situation of each team ahead of the free agency period. The Bills are tabbed a team that is moving forward in the right direction, putting Buffalo in a much better situation than many other teams in the league at this time.

The analysis categorized Buffalo’s quarterback state of affairs as “trending upward.” Here’s why:

Josh Allen might actually be the guy in Buffalo after all — even if he gets the job done in a bit of an unorthodox way. The quarterback led the Bills to a wild-card berth in 2019, completing 58.8 percent of his passes for 3,089 yards with a 20:9 TD-to-INT ratio, and he nearly broke Buffalo’s “gets us” meter when he stepped off a plane in frigid temperatures wearing only a short-sleeved hoodie and a ballcap. That makes for a beloved signal-caller in Western New York. But he’ll have to cut down on his running (109 attempts, 510 yards, nine touchdowns) if he wants to make a long career out of this. For now, there’s optimism in Buffalo. We’ll see if the Bills can take the next step with Allen in 2020.

The concerns about Allen’s development was the top story for the Bills entering the 2019 season. The Wyoming product took many positive steps to quell some of the concerns and reinforce his place as the team’s burgeoning franchise quarterback.

Allen doubled the number of touchdowns he threw in his second year (10-to-20) while reducing the number of interceptions thrown (12-to-9), despite playing in more games as well. He also increased his passing yards per game by 20.3 yards. He also completed a league-high four fourth-quarter comebacks.

The Bills may enter the new NFL year with the best quarterback situation in the AFC East. The New England Patriots fell into the “known unknowns” category, as Tom Brady is garnering a great deal of attention with the possibility of entering free agency for the first time in his career. The New York Jets are placed in the “need to be convinced” area, as “Sam Darnold isn’t the earth-melting quarterback Jets fans viewed him as when the team selected him third overall in the 2018 draft, but the evaluation remains incomplete, thanks in part to his time missed last season with mononucleosis.” Finally, the Miami Dolphins, at the helm of Ryan Fitzpatrick, were lumped in with the “Ready for a new face” crowd by Shook.

Thus, it’s not looking too shabby for Buffalo as free agency starts with respect to their quarterback room. Trust the process indeed.

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Ex-Jets C Nick Mangold loves Sam Darnold’s leadership skills

Former Jet Nick Mangold praises Sam Darnold for his leadership skills.

Despite not snapping a single football to Sam Darnold, former Jets center Nick Mangold loves what the young gunslinger brings to the table.

Mangold was on NFL Network’s Good Morning Football on Wednesday and discussed the Jets’ upcoming 2020 season. In that segment, Mangold had some kind words to say of Darnold’s leadership skills.

“I love Darnold’s mentality, the way he goes about things, the way he talks, the way he commands a huddle,” Mangold said.

As a former center, Mangold can tell pretty quickly when a quarterback has an offense’s ear. Some NFL quarterbacks just don’t command a huddle that well and that’s an important aspect to being a good one in the NFL. If that’s not the case, then there’s a certain respect level that is lost between the quarterback and the rest of the offense.

It hasn’t been smooth sailing for Darnold in his young career, but it appears that he has already earned that respect not only because of his talent level, but for the way he handles himself around his teammates.

Darnold had an up and down sophomore campaign in 2019. In 13 games, Darnold has a 61.7 percent completion percentage to go along with 3,024 yards, 19 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.

Clearly, Mangold thinks as long as Darnold continues along this path that he’ll be an above average quarterback in the NFL.

Robby Anderson says he wants to re-sign with Jets

Jets wide receiver Robby Anderson joined ESPN’s NFL Live on Monday and said he wanted to re-sign with the team.

It looks like Robby Anderson might be returning to the Big Apple next season after all.

At the end of last season, Anderson indicated he wanted to test free agency and see what he was worth on the open market. The Temple product went as far as saying it would not be logical to re-sign with the Jets before entertaining offers from other teams.

“The goal, in the business perspective, is to get the most money and the best situation,” Anderson said in January. “The goal is to best the most amount of money with what I’m worth and be in the best situation.”

New York’s No. 1 wideout has since changed his tune. On Monday, Anderson appeared on ESPN’s NFL live and expressed his desire to remain with the Jets in 2020 and beyond.

“I think they definitely want me back,” he said. “I truly do want to be back with the Jets. I love Sam [Darnold]. I love my teammates, Jamal [Adams] and all those guys. I feel like there’s unfinished business there that I’ve been trying to get done since I got there. I would hope to finish out the mission, all in all, but it’s a business.”‬

It’s not going to be easy to keep Anderson. As one of the top receivers in this year’s free agent class, odds are a bidding war for his services will ensue in a week’s time. Regardless, Anderson’s wanting to remain in the green and white is a major development for the Jets. At one point, it looked like Anderson was long gone and Joe Douglas would have to search elsewhere for a new No. 1 wideout for Darnold to work with.

Now, there’s at the very least a chance Darnold gets his favorite deep threat back.

Which NFL teams have the same needs as the Jets?

A look at who the Jets will be competing with as they try to fill different holes on their roster.

No team in the NFL is perfect. Everyone needs better players or has positional issues to resolve. The Jets, unfortunately, are one of the teams with a plethora of needs.

The Jets need an infusion of talent at a variety of positions this offseason. The offensive line is the obvious No. 1 priority for Joe Douglas after an abysmal 2019 season in which the unit finished 28th in the NFL. Cornerback is another important position to target with Trumaine Johnson on his way out. Pass rusher, wide receiver, running back and kicker are the final four areas of concern for New York and should be a part of Douglas’ rebuilding plan.

But the Jets aren’t the only team in the hunt for players at those positions. The rest of the NFL will be vying for the top players and some have the money, draft capital or trade chips to pull it off. The Jets will need to look at the market as a whole before allocating significant cap space to any one position or player.

Here are the other teams in the NFL targeting the same needs as the Jets.

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4 under the radar free agents the Jets should target

The Jets don’t have enough money to sign the biggest free agents, so they should look at these players who some times may not covet.

Free agency – much like the draft – is a crapshoot.

You can scout players all you want, but there’s no telling if they’ll ever live up to the contracts they receive when they hit the open market. For the most part, teams will overpay to land a player who outperformed his contract the year before, only to watch him crash and burn the following season. The Jets experience this on an almost yearly basis and Joe Douglas can’t let it happen again.

The big names will always command the most money, but there are plenty of diamonds in the rough that can stand out and contribute for less. No one wanted to give Brian Poole a big deal in 2019 and he ended up being the best slot corner in the NFL for the Jets. Douglas needs to find those players if he wants to fill all the holes on his roster.

With that in minf, here are four under the radar free agents for the Jets to target.

(Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports)

WR Breshad Perriman

The Jets are in the market to upgrade their wide receiving corp and Perriman would be a cheap solution if they can’t keep Robby Anderson. Perriman enjoyed a late-season resurgence with the Buccaneers after three years of holding the bust moniker and actually looked like he could become a viable wide receiver in the league. He led the NFL with an average depth of target of 18.8 yards and only dropped one of his 65 targets.

Perriman is roughly the same height as Anderson but a little bigger-bodied and could provide a dual ability as a speedster and red zone target for Sam Darnold and the Jets. He’d also command significantly less money than a lot of the other receivers on the market. If the Jets want to save their money or pool their resources for a different player, signing Perriman could help them in a lot of different ways.

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Ohio State DE Chase Young met with Jets at NFL draft combine

The Jets did their due diligence at the NFL draft combine last week, meeting with Ohio State defensive end Chase Young.

The Jets will likely target an offensive lineman or wide receiver with their first-round pick in the 2020 NFL draft, but that didn’t stop them from doing their due diligence on one of the draft’s elite defenders last week at the combine.

Per Sports Illustrated, New York met with Ohio State defensive end Chase Young, who many consider the best overall prospect in this year’s draft class. Young is all but a lock to go in the Top 5, which puts the Jets out of range with the No. 11 pick.

Gang Green’s meeting with Young was an informal one. He also met with the Giants in a formal manner. Young did not work out at the combine, opting to pass on drills in Indianapolis in favor of positional drills at his pro day at Ohio State on March 25.

Young was one of college football’s elite pass rushers in 2019, registering 46 tackles and 16.5 sacks. In December, he was named the Chuck Bednarik Award winner by the Maxwell Football Club as the nation’s top defensive player.

The Jets are in a market for a pass rusher and the Ohio State product would be the ideal player to fill that void. However, barring a trade into the Top 5, it is extremely unlikely Joe Douglas and company will have the opportunity to bring Young to the Big Apple.

With Young seemingly out of reach, Douglas will likely stick to what seems to be his original plan of going after an offensive lineman to protect Sam Darnold or a wideout for Darnold to work with. Cornerback is also in play at No. 11, as the Jets are currently paper-thin at the position.

Pros and cons of Jets trading for Redskins LT Trent Williams

The Jets need to weigh the best and worst parts of trading for disgruntled Redskins lineman Trent Williams.

It’s no secret the Jets need offensive line help and it’s even less surprising to hear they’re one of the teams pursuing a trade for disgruntled Redskins left tackle Trent Williams.

With only two 2019 starters – tackle Chuma Edoga and guard Brian Winters – under contract, Joe Douglas and the Jets need to rebuild their offensive line from the ground up in order to better protect Sam Darnold. Acquiring Williams could be the first step.

Williams missed the entire 2019 season after he held out until October over contract and team disputes before the Redskins placed him on the non-football injury list to end the season. The crux of Williams’ displeasure with the Redskins revolved around the medical team downplaying a cancerous growth on his head, and he voiced that frustration throughout the season. Though the Redskins maintained their desire to keep him, they recently gave him permission to seek a trade this offseason.

The Jets need experienced veterans who can immediately upgrade the offensive line and Williams fits the bill as the perfect fit for Darnold’s blindside blocker. He’s played at an extremely high level since the Redskins drafted him fourth overall in 2010 and has been regarded as one of the best left tackles in the game since then.

But not every potential transaction is perfect. Williams has plenty of pros but just as many cons. The same goes for the move to trade for him. Giving up something for a player of Williams’ caliber is always risky, especially when a team is in the middle of a rebuild.

Pro: On-field production

You might not find a more consistent left tackle in football than Trent Williams. If you take out this past season, Williams is coming off of seven consecutive Pro Bowl seasons. He earned a pass-blocking Pro Football Focus grade of 80.0 or higher over the past six years of that stretch.

He’s been exceptional over the past three seasons as well – only David Bakhtiari and Joe Staley eclipsed Williams’ 89.1 overall grade between 2016 and 2018 and he only allowed one sack between 2017 and 2018. Williams is elite and would be the best left tackle the Jets have seen since D’Brickashaw Ferguson retired in 2015.

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Report: Jets still pushing to re-sign Robby Anderson

The Jets are making efforts to re-sign wide receiver Robby Anderson before he hits free agency.

The New York Jets are making a push to re-sign wide receiver Robby Anderson before he hits the open market.

According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Jets are making efforts to re-sign Anderson. However, he’s on a lot of teams’ radars and it will be difficult for the Jets to convince him to stay. But the Jets are not out of the picture just yet.

Joe Douglas and Adam Gase have expressed their interest in keeping Anderson because of how valuable he is. Douglas loves Anderson’s speed and vertical threat ability, while Gase has said it’s helpful to keep your own players who have been in the program already.

Despite all the praise Anderson has received, he has not indicated a willingness to give the Jets a hometown discount. He’s said to be seeking between $13-$15 million per year, a steep price for Jets team that has other holes to fill.

Anderson had a strong 2019 season, especially down the stretch. He had 52 receptions for 779 yards and five touchdowns. The Jets had a little trouble getting the ball to him early on in the season while Sam Darnold was out with mononucleosis.

Anderson may not be worth WR 1 money, but he’s the best receiver the Jets have. Losing him would significantly hurt an offense that is already not very good, especially if they don’t find anyone better to replace him.

These next two weeks before free agency starts are going to be huge for Douglas and the Jets. If they don’t re-sign Anderson by the time free agency opens up, then the chances of getting him back are slim at best.

Does veteran LT Jason Peters make sense for the Jets?

Jason Peters would immediately upgrade the Jets’ line, but his age and durability concerns should give the Jets paise before signing him.

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.