Getty New York Jets pass rusher Shaq Lawson getting himself ready before an NFL game.
For the better part of a decade, the New York Jets have been a dumpster fire and easy low-hanging fruit for the media to make fun of.
Ever since Robert Saleh took over, they have been trying to change that narrative.
Apparently, he will have to try a bit harder in 2022 because a player from last year’s team seemingly took a shot at them on social media this week.
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An Unfortunate Outburst
After Carl Lawson ruptured his Achilles during the preseason, general manager Joe Douglas had to quickly find a replacement.
He ended up striking a deal with the Houston Texans to bring in veteran pass-rusher Shaq Lawson. While he shared the same name with the guy he was replacing, unfortunately, this Lawson didn’t live up to the potential.
He played in 14 games with the Jets and started in seven of those contests, but wasn’t able to consistently make an impact:
- One sack
- 23 total tackles
- Zero forced fumbles
With that minimal impact, the Jets decided to cut ties with Shaq, and apparently, he is still in his feelings about how everything transpired.
Someone by the handle of “@FutbolKicks” tweeted at Lawson saying, “he was awful with the Jets last year.”
To which the veteran pass rusher responded saying, “lol everything was awful.”
@FutbolKicks Lol everything was awful
With Lawson hanging out in free agency, he quote tweeted Buffalo Bills safety Jordan Poyer saying, “I am trying [to] come back home. I miss y’all, boys, it [has] been [a] long two years.”
I am trying come back home. I miss y’all boys it been long two years
The 27-year-old (will be 28 by the start of the 2022 season) initially entered the league as the No. 19 overall pick in the first round of the 2016 NFL draft by the Bills.
Now he is hoping for a potential reunion in 2022.
ESPN NFL Insider Jeremy Fowler said there is “mutual interest” in a Bills and Lawson pairing, but “nothing is imminent.”
He later added that the Bills “do due diligence on all free agents, but the team isn’t actively negotiating with anything on this front.”
Bills do due diligence on all free agents but the team isn’t actively negotiating anything on this front. RT @JFowlerESPN: I’m told there’s mutual interest in Shaq Lawson returning to Buffalo but nothing is imminent on a deal. Lawson had 6.5 sacks for the Bills in 2019.
Some Warranted Criticism
That comment by Lawson ruffled the feathers of many Jets fans who were taken aback by the stray bullet that caught them off-guard.
It was a smart trade by Douglas to try and kick the tires on a former first-rounder for a minimal cost (sixth-round draft choice). If it worked, there would’ve been a strong chance Lawson still would’ve been on the roster, but it didn’t.
Now the Jets still have a gaping hole at EDGE rusher opposite Lawson heading into the offseason. To be candid, we have no idea what Carl will be when he gets back, so the Jets will likely operate with a hope for the best, but expect the worst kind of mindset.
Who knows if one of the top pass rushers will fall to the Jets’ No. 4 overall pick. With that same mindset we just talked about, they have to assume neither Aidan Hutchinson nor Kayvon Thibodeaux will be on the board.
If that is the case it would behoove the team to add a veteran pass rusher to the rotation in free agency to expand their options.
Some interesting names to keep an eye out for that could make sense include:
- Chandler Jones, Arizona Cardinals
- Von Miller, Los Angeles Rams
- Dante Fowler Jr, Atlanta Falcons
- Jason Pierre-Paul, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Jadeveon Clowney, Cleveland Browns
- Melvin Ingram, Kansas City Chiefs
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