The New York Jets beat the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 16 and earned their fourth victory of the season.
Although by winning, they may have lost out on one of the two prized pass rushers in the 2022 NFL draft in Aidan Hutchinson of Michigan and Kayvon Thibodeaux of Oregon.
Both are expected to be among the top three picks in April’s draft. Currently, the Jets sit at No. 4 and No. 6 overall respectively, according to Tankathon.
With that option seemingly off the table, Gang Green will have to get super creative to fill their void at EDGE on defense.
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A Fantastic Idea to Consider
On the Badlands podcast, co-hosts Joe Caporoso and Connor Rogers were discussing potential trades the Jets should consider this offseason to add some juice and take them to the next level.
One trade that Rogers said would be a fantastic “splash” is acquiring Minnesota Vikings pass rusher, Danielle Hunter.
“My overall point is I think they need to find a veteran EDGE rusher,” Rogers stated. “I’ve said the name Danielle Hunter before and that would be the big splash move.”
The 27-year-old stud has two years remaining on his contract for just over $6.3 million in base salary although he has a massive $18.5 million roster bonus due for next year.
This past offseason Hunter liked several tweets that featured him in some trade discussions which sparked a lot of rumors about a future deal.
General manager Joe Douglas has made plenty of big-time trades sending talent to other teams, but he has yet to pull the trigger on a blockbuster trade where he acquires an insane talent.
This would be against his track record historically, but Douglas also said he would consider anything that would improve this team and this would certainly do that.
What It Could Do for the Rest of the Defense
Head coach Robert Saleh has made it abundantly clear that he needs a pass rush for his defense to fire on all cylinders.
The production just hasn’t been good enough this year and while they should be getting Carl Lawson back in 2022, it’s impossible to say what he will be able to provide coming off of a ruptured Achilles.
Even if you think Lawson comes back in full flower, you still need a top EDGE rusher opposite of him.
Hunter is a superstar and has produced during his seven years in the pros:
- 60.5 sacks
- 73 tackles for loss
- 90 quarterback hits
- Over 314 tackles
To acquire this talented pass rusher it would likely take a massive haul. A combination of the Seattle Seahawks first-rounder and another mid-rounder would probably be strong parts of the conversation.
The Jets need to be aggressive and push their chips into the middle of the table. They have missed the playoffs in 11 straight seasons and if they want to change that narrative they have to hit the upgrade button on the defensive side of the ball.
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Jets Dreaming of ‘Splashy’ Blockbuster Trade to Land Dangerous EDGE Rusher