Getty New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh having a moment with his quarterback Zach Wilson.
After the New York Jets lost Mekhi Becton to a season-ending injury, there was an expectation that they’d grab someone from the outside to fill the void.
That came to fruition on Thursday, August 11.
Adam Schefter of ESPN was the first to share the news on Twitter that Gang Green signed Duane Brown to a two-year deal.
According to Ian Rapoport, this contract is worth $22 million in value:
The #Jets are giving OT Duane Brown a 2-year deal worth $22M, source said. A significant investment in a key position.
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The Perfect Band-Aid
With a ton of uncertainty at the offensive tackle spot, the Jets did what they had to do to salvage their season before it truly began.
Brown is 36 years of age (but he will turn 37 ahead of the 2022 season). Despite his age, Brown has proven to be one of the best offensive tackles in football during his 14-plus-year NFL career.
You could make a strong argument that Brown is now the best offensive tackle on the roster with his impressive resume that boasts three All-Pro nods and five Pro Bowl nominations.
For the Jets, it truly felt like Brown or bust.
With Becton out for the year, the Jets had no one of legitimate pedigree to turn to on the bench. All of the options were either underwhelming or unproven.
This season lives and dies by Zach Wilson. If he can’t stay upright none of the optimism that has been building for the last several months would be worth a damn.
Now they have Brown locked in not only for 2022 but also for 2023.
During the 2021 offseason when they signed Morgan Moses, they were trying to lock him in on a two-year deal as well. Ultimately Moses wanted the flexibility to test the market again after the season and it worked out.
Now the Jets will have the ultimate flexibility heading into 2023 with the potential of Brown and Becton starting. Or if new bodies are added to the mix there will be legitimate competition in the trenches.
Musical Chairs
There are a lot of moving parts here.
The first question that needs to be answered is who will play left tackle and who will play on the right side?
George Fant has been adamant throughout this entire process that he plays better on the left side and would prefer to stay there. He is also entering the last year of his deal and which side he is playing on will drastically affect his wallet.
While Brown has exclusively played on the blindside throughout his entire 14-year career in the NFL. Can you teach an old dog new tricks?
Rich Cimini of ESPN noted that when Brown was initially visiting during the green-and-white scrimmage, the pitch from the team to Brown was serving in a “backup swing tackle” role.
However, the dynamic dramatically shifted with Becton going down with an injury.
According to Brian Costello of the New York Post, “no decision” has been made on who will play where. Those conversations will happen once Brown is officially on the squad.
A source said no decision has been made on who the left tackle is. They will discuss it when Brown joins the team.
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