Getty New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh reacting on an NFL field before a game.
Is Aaron Rodgers on the New York Jets yet?
No? Alrighty then. Now we can safely get back to our weekly mailbag featuring our two handsome experts Paul ‘Boy Green’ Esden and Michael Obermuller. They sift through the free agency buzz and yes more Aaron Rodgers discussion.
Jets Urged to Add Some Brutus Beefcake to DL
1. Is there an available free agent that you’d be willing to pound the table for the Jets to sign?
MO:
I was really intrigued by the idea of Fletcher Cox with Gang Green, but since he chose Philly, why not pivot to another classy veteran at defensive tackle? I love Calais Campbell for the Jets and I’d bang the table for a player of his high character time and time again.
This is also the team’s biggest need after losing both Sheldon Rankins and Nathan Shepherd in free agency. Imagine a player with 99 career sacks lined up next to Quinnen Williams with John Franklin-Myers and either Carl Lawson or Jermaine Johnson on either side of them? What a tremendous front four that would be.
Plus, Campbell has apparently been keeping an eye on the Jets’ offseason as well, so this could be a match made in heaven.
Boy Green:
Campbell is a great one and someone I tweeted about earlier in free agency. Sign me the heck up baby!
I would’ve loved to see Gang Green go after former Philadelphia Eagles defensive back Chauncey Gardner-Johnson. The ball-hawking nature would’ve perfectly fit in the Jets’ secondary, unfortunately, they missed out on that one.
BREAKING: The Lions are signing Chauncey Gardner-Johnson to a one-year contract
I want to see them lock in linebacker Kwon Alexander. He is still hanging out there in free agency and he would fill the last remaining starting hole at that position.
2. Aaron Rodgers says he wants to be a New York Jet, but how long until that actually becomes a reality in your mind?
MO:
I have to think Joe Douglas and Brian Gutekunst figure this deal out before the draft, otherwise, the Green Bay Packers are doing themselves a disservice purely based on spite and/or delusions of grandeur. Rodgers is great, but he may only play one season, and that alters his value.
He’s also expensive from an organizational perspective, and the Packers are technically owned by the city and the people. This puts the front office between a rock and a hard place, and Douglas just has to find a sweet spot before the big weekend in late April.
If he’s unable to, that could spell bad news for both the Jets and Rodgers, as the Packers will likely hold him until after June 1 for cap purposes with the 2023 draft out the window. Having said that, I do think Douglas works out a trade that Green Bay feels comfortable accepting sometime between now and the draft.
Boy Green:
I say it happens this week.
The theme I continue to hear from people I trust is “cooler heads will prevail” and this will get done.
Rodgers is one of the best players in Green Bay Packers’ history. Are you going to drag him through the mud for months? He already said he intends to play for the Jets in 2023 and it’s time to do the right thing by him.
I’m not saying A-Rod will be traded for a conditional seventh-round pick, but can’t we find something in the middle?
A second-rounder this year and a conditional pick in 2024 or 2025? That seems like a fair offer all things considered.
3. Speaking of Rodgers, what is the absolute MOST you’d be willing to give up if you were the Jets? The recent speculation from Rich Cimini suggested pass rusher Jermaine Johnson could be included in the deal, would Gang Green go that far?
MO:
I wouldn’t give up any current players on the roster unless it’s a throw-in like Corey Davis that they were going to cut anyway. I would be willing to go higher than most fans in the draft pick department, however.
If we are up against the gun in late April and the Packers call Douglas’ bluff, I’d probably surrender the No. 13 overall pick that Green Bay seems to be holding out for. I know, it’s probably not a wise move, but the last thing I want is this dragging out all summer.
Two months ago, I was ready and willing to trade the 2023 first-rounder for Rodgers. If it comes to it, I’d do it here and now, ending this silly saga before camp. After all, you have to believe the Packers would accept something like No. 13 and a 2025 conditional pick (if Rodgers plays two seasons) in a heartbeat.
Boy Green:
The eye in the sky never lies. You can go back and check the tape, months ago I said I’d be willing to give up two No. 1 picks because it is Aaron Freaking Rodgers. However, I think there is a difference between what fair value is for a player and what leverage dictates for a player.
For example, Sam Darnold was once traded for a second, a fourth, and a sixth. At that moment in time, the Jets got a great deal of maximizing leverage.
Let’s go back 15 years ago was Pro Football Hall of Fame QB Brett Favre worth more than a conditional fourth-rounder? Probably but the leverage at that moment in time made him go for far less.
Absolutely not on the Jermaine Johnson speculation. I’d be willing to trade guys like Davis, Jeremy Ruckert, and players of that range (players in the last years of their deals or veterans).
To answer the question, if push came to shove I’d give up No. 13 if the Jets swap pick No. 15 in the first round with Green Bay. Then the Jets can mix in some other pieces.
Odell Beckham Jr-Jets Rumors and Biggest Loss This Offseason?
4. What do you make of the OBJ-Jets rumors? There have been so many different reports from well-respected insiders, that it seems real. Would that spell the end of Elijah Moore? How do you see all of this playing out?
MO:
I don’t see the Jets signing Beckham. There have been similar reports with plenty of other teams, including the Buffalo Bills who invited OBJ to dinner at Josh Allen’s house.
The way I see it, Rodgers suggested Beckham to Douglas, and the NYJ general manager is doing his due diligence because of that. He won’t (and can’t) afford to overpay for Beckham knowing the injury risk, however, and I think someone will give the superstar the multi-year deal he’s been looking for.
Douglas will continue to monitor the situation, but choose to pass on the financials in the end.
Boy Green:
Oh, I’m totally buying it. Sure there have been some other reports of teams being interested but not to this level.
We’ve had multiple different respected reporters coming out and pointing at the Jets. Why is that *as I point my Brian Windhorst fingers at the sky*? Can you imagine the headlines if OBJ is brought back to New York but in a green and white uniform?
I want to score as many points as possible if I’m the Jets in 2023. You can never have enough weapons, especially with the potential for injury. Bring OBJ back to New York as soon as possible and then figure out the depth chart down the line.
5. Which of the Jets’ own free agents that have either already signed somewhere else or still remain on the open market would be the biggest loss for the team?
MO:
The Jets lost a bunch of veteran depth during the first week of free agency, but they haven’t lost any major pieces yet and Douglas has done a good job stepping in and retaining key cogs like Quincy Williams or Greg Zuerlein.
Having said that, my answer at this moment is Rankins. Before he signed in Houston, I tweeted that I expected Rankins to get a nice deal and walk after a bounce-back campaign. I also noted that I would let him leave rather than overpay him.
So, why is he my response? Until the Jets fill the void at D-tackle, it’s their biggest loss and problem area that needs addressing. I fully expect Douglas and head coach Robert Saleh to find a replacement that works for them, but as of now, the former team leader’s departure hurts the most.
Boy Green:
Rankins is a good choice because of what he can bring to the table. However, I’ll say Nate Herbig.
To be fair there was nothing the Jets could do about losing him but that doesn’t make it hurt any less. The Jets have two locked-in starters for 2023 in Laken Tomlinson and Alijah Vera-Tucker.
Herbig read the room and said if I re-sign with the Jets, I’m going to be a backup. However, if I sign with someone else I can get a decent chunk of change and at least the chance to start somewhere else.
He made the right decision for himself, but the Jets lost an absolutely reliable depth piece. What a great find by general manager Joe Douglas off of the waiver wire. Hopefully, he still has a few more of those waiting in the chamber.