Getty Head coach Robert Saleh and the New York Jets still have some huge decisions to make in 2023.
Here we are on March 27 and not all that much has changed. The New York Jets are still working through a deal to trade for Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, free agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. has yet to choose a new destination, and Gang Green still find themselves without a starting center and DT2.
Having said that, there were some big developments this week and our expert writers Paul ‘Boy Green’ Esden Jr. and Michael Obermuller are back to break it all down. Today’s mailbag column will debate; incoming roster moves before the draft, Corey Davis’ long-term employment, buying or selling on Mekhi Becton’s weight loss, drafting a QB in 2023, and final takeaways from the Elijah Moore trade.
Previous mailbags:
- Week 82: Potential non-QB trades, under-the-radar FA targets & bold offseason predictions.
- Week 83: Free agency warnings, pay cut pitches & perfect Jets’ QB2.
- Week 84: Free agency preview, last-minute cuts & most likely re-signings.
- Week 85: Free agents to pound the table for, best offers for Aaron Rodgers & OBJ rumors.
Jets Buy or Sell: Latest on Mekhi Becton & Corey Davis
1. Former Jets first-round pick Mekhi Becton has been getting himself into phenomenal shape this offseason. What’s your confidence level in “The Big Ticket” going into year four? If it’s high, would you pick up his fifth-year option in May?
THEY KNOW IM THE ONE ITS NO WAY THEY CAN STOP ME!!!!! GET THAT WORK IN!!!!!!
Boy Green:
I’m going to be as blunt as I can — there is a negative percent chance that I or the Jets would pick up that fifth-year option.
We’ve seen this song and dance before with Mekhi Becton winning offseason headlines only to get injured when it matters. I’m rooting for the kid, and he seems to be ultra-motivated, but he’s going to have to prove it. The Jets will decline that option making the 2023 season a make-or-break year for the former first rounder.
If he kicks butt in 2023, maybe he’ll earn the franchise tag. However, if he gets hurt again or sucks, then the Jets are going to kick him to the curb. The NFL is a cold-blooded business and Becton either has to hop on the train or get left at the station. It is nut-cutting time.
Obermuller:
I like the movement that Becton has started on Twitter. It goes beyond the game of football, and has seemingly inspired many Jets fans young and old to get back into shape along with him step by step. That’s been really cool to watch and I commend the OT for doing that.
Back to football. Over the years, I would say I’ve been considered tough on Becton more often than not, but it’s always been fair.
Having said that, I’m really rooting for him to bounce back and I’ll even put my confidence at a 6 out of 10 — which is the highest it’s been in a long time. Either way, Paul is right, there’s no scenario where the Jets can rationalize picking up that fifth-year option in May.
2. Jets HC Robert Saleh appeared to hint that Corey Davis is here to stay when speaking with NFL Network’s Judy Battista. Are you buying or selling this recent turn of events?
BG:
Is it possible? You can’t rule anything out. However, I’m selling this to the moon — because when a head coach says something during the offseason, we shouldn’t take it as gospel.
This is lying season, baby. How would it benefit the Jets at all to say Davis was dead in the water if he really was? Whether it is a leverage play with a potential Aaron Rodgers trade or they’re actually keeping him, it makes sense to keep everyone guessing.
If it’s really true that he is staying, he would need to rework his contract and take a significant pay cut. I’d do a Jamison Crowder-like contract where you cut his salary in half and fully guarantee it at a $5 million evaluation.
MO:
This is a tough one. The Jets have ALWAYS liked Davis more than the fans have and I’ll include myself in that blanket statement.
Considering his initial contract, Davis has been a frustrating player with nagging injuries and inconsistent performances. He’s also a team leader and a tremendous blocker that fits Nathaniel Hackett’s new offensive scheme like a glove. Going one step further, one can presume that he has some sort of understanding of Keith Carter’s plan for the run game from their days together in Tennessee.
Allen Lazard felt like a natural replacement for Davis but that’s only because they both fit the mold of wideouts that Hackett usually targets. In the end, I think it comes down to Davis or OBJ, and while I’m less confident in a Beckham signing after hearing Saleh speak, I’ll still lean toward OBJ and a Davis cut/trade at this time (selling).
Free Agency & Draft Theories for Jets in April
3. How many more NEW additions do the Jets make BEFORE the draft? Predictions?
BG:
Okay, I think they add a veteran at center that could start so the team isn’t pigeonholed into taking one in the draft by force (one).
I could see them adding a veteran proven running back on the cheap to be Breece Hall insurance (two). Odell Beckham Jr will be a New York Jet prior to the 2023 NFL draft (three). I’ll even give that one a Joe Namath Super Bowl guarantee that it’ll happen!
They’ll add a rotational interior defensive lineman (four) and bring back Kwon Alexander (five? not new). I think that covers mostly everything. I like adding as many bodies as possible so you can have the ultimate flexibility on draft day.
Here are my quick predictions: Ben Jones is signed to a two-year, Duane Brown-like contract, but for dirt cheap (two years $8 million total). OBJ will get a three-year deal for $30 million but it’ll really be a two-year deal with the third season being a team option.
MO:
I see my partner left out Rodgers — either by accident or by design. I’ll be optimistic and say the Jets figure out the Rodgers deal before the draft, or at the very least, during the draft. I feel like it may end up taking a night one pick swap from No. 13 down to the Packers spot in the order (No. 15), but both of these GMs need to figure this out before May.
If Rodgers becomes official, others might too, so that’s the biggest domino that needs to fall.
I’ll say they make two more new additions before the draft besides Rodgers (three total, not counting re-signing players): DT Calais Campbell and either Ben Jones or Ryan Kelly at center. The OBJ-Davis decision will come after the draft in my opinion.
4. Do you think the Jets will draft a quarterback in 2023? And does the Rodgers trade timeline impact your answer?
BG:
No to part two of the question. The Jets are operating as if Aaron Rodgers is already their QB for 2023. The timeline of when it becomes a reality is irrelevant to that conversation in my mind.
The overall question is tough because Zach Wilson will be QB2 in 2023 and if you draft a guy, he’ll likely be plugged in as QB3. If you have three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster that limits who you can keep at other key positions. On the other hand, if you only have Wilson to turn to that could also be a dangerous proposition.
I’ll put it this way, I’m open to drafting a QB if the right guy falls to the right range. Hendon Hooker would be a super fun one, but recent buzz suggests he’s going to go higher than I’m willing to invest.
MO:
Quarterback is the most important position in this sport, and I do think the Jets draft another in 2023.
It won’t be a high pick, but the Jets have less needs than ever before. Why not throw a late-round flier on a QB prospect that you like in round five or six? That could be someone like Stetson Bennett or Max Duggan that are currently being overlooked despite their stellar college careers.
This player would provide Wilson with some friendly competition, while also acting as insurance in case his confidence never returns in New York. All the while, both get to watch one of the best signal-callers of all time with the hope that something rubs off on one of them.
I don’t think the Rodgers timeline impacts this too much — I’d draft a third QB either way.
Jets Reactions on Elijah Moore Trade
5. Give me your honest take on the decision to trade 2021 second-round WR Elijah Moore after two seasons.
BG:
Honestly, depressing. This was a building block and a young player that excited fans for the present and future. Just two years in, now he’s going to be catching touchdown passes from Deshaun Watson.
No matter how you slice it, this is a massive failure for general manager Joe Douglas. He selected a guy that showed promise and now he’ll be delivering on it for another NFL franchise. In a vacuum, this is by far the worst trade Douglas has ever executed. Of course, we can’t evaluate it in a vacuum because what if this is a key part of the Rodgers trade?
You won’t hear me complaining if Moore’s limp body helps deliver A-Rod. I wish the young man all the best in Cleveland and hopefully, he grows up and matures. Requesting a trade at 22 years of age in the middle of a winning streak was one of the dumbest things I’ve ever seen.
Moore went all Jamal Adams on the fanbase, and they turned on him like a pack of rabid wolves. He went from being the apple of Jets fan’s eyes to a totally selfish diva who can freeze his a** off in Cleveland for all I care. Good riddance. The Jets need volunteers, not hostages, to quote Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin.
MO:
I might be one of the biggest Moore defenders on Jets Twitter, so I obviously hated this move. I felt it was petty and bad business to not figure out a way to repair this relationship.
I also blame Mike LaFleur for a lot of this. For anyone watching closely, LaFleur pissed off a ton of offensive players either subtlety or publicly. Some weeks, the offensive side of the ball didn’t even look like they wanted to be out there in 2021 and 2022 — and that goes way beyond Moore.
Saleh gave his friend a promotion he wasn’t ready for, and that’s been his greatest failure as a head coach. It’s led to the destruction of a first-round QB, a wasted playoff opportunity in 2022, and the sell-off trade of a second rounder that was called a first-round talent by most.
Moore’s trade request was an obvious mistake — and one that teammates hinted he made amends for — but the bigger mistake was hiring LaFleur in the first place and allowing these relationships to fracture under his command. That’s all on Saleh, and to some extent Douglas, for not stepping in sooner.