The New York Jets didn’t wait long to act after discovering their star rookie running back Breece Hall would miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL.
When the Jets traded for Jacksonville Jaguars running back James Robinson on October 24, fans seemed revved up over the deal.
“Joe Douglas isn’t f****** around. This is a win now team,” one fan tweeted, referring to the Jets’ general manager.
Members of the media also applauded the move. Steve Gelbs of SNY respected the aggressiveness by Douglas saying, “you never know what each year will bring. Go for it.”
And Jake Asman of 97.5 FM in Houston was surprised by how little the Jets gave up in the trade.
“WOW! They gave up barely anything! This is an awesome move by Joe Douglas and the #Jets,” Asman tweeted.
The Jets received Robinson in exchange for a conditional sixth-round draft choice. If Robinson rushes for 600 yards this season, that pick will become a fifth-rounder. He already has 340 with the Jaguars. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport was the first to report the deal.
Jets GM Joe Douglas Strikes Ahead of the Trade Deadline
The Jets could have simply chosen to stand pat with Michael Carter, Ty Johnson and a rusher from the practice squad who likely would have been promoted.
Instead, Douglas was aggressive in filling the rushing void. One fan suggested that Douglas essentially traded a 24-year-old former 1,000-yard rusher for a backup linebacker.
“So Joe Douglas traded Blake Cashman for James Robinson?” tweeted Jets X-Factor’s Michael Nania in reference to the Jets’ fifth-round pick in 2019. Cashman, now with the Houston Texans, appeared in only 14 games over his three years in New York.
So Joe Douglas traded Blake Cashman for James Robinson?
Using a clip from “SpongeBob SquarePants,” one fan provided a hilarious depiction of what might have happened in the Jets-Jaguars trade negotiations.
Joe Douglas negotiating with the Jaguars
A Harsh Jets Truth About Michael Carter
Some fans had argued about whether the team should go outside the organization to add a running back. But with the Jets at 5-2 and currently holding the top wild card, New York was compelled to find a suitable replacement for Hall.
Some fans urged the Jets to go with Carter, a second-year running back for whom the Jets moved up in the second round of the 2021 draft to select. In seven games this season, Carter has 228 yards and two touchdowns on 66 carries.
It seems the Jets didn’t view Carter, who is 5-foot-8 and 201 pounds, as a bell-cow rusher. Now Carter can be the 1B to Robinson’s 1A.
Robinson is 24 and in the last year of the contract that he signed as an undrafted free agent coming out of Illinois State University. He is owed less than $600,000 for the rest of this season and is set to be a restricted free agent next offseason.
That means the Jets will be able to bring him back on a super cheap deal for 2023 to provide for Hall to return to full form.
In three seasons, Robinson has 2,177 rushing yards and 22 touchdown while averaging 4.5 yards a carry.
James Robinson: 24 years old, last year of deal for less than 600K, RFA next year. SUPER PRODUCTIVE! The #Jets want to ground & pound, he will be a perfect complement to Michael Carter. FREAKING LOVE THIS MOVE! #TakeFlight #DUUUVAL #Jaguars
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Jets Fans Erupt After Big Time RB Trade: ‘Isn’t F****** Around’