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The biggest decision this offseason for the New York Jets is what to do with defensive lineman Bryce Huff.
Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap told Rich Cimini of ESPN that his “gut feeling” is that Huff will sign “an 11th-hour deal” to remain with the team.
Huff is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in March.
The Projected Contract for Huff in 2024
This isn’t your normal contract negotiation between player and team. Huff has very rarely been a starter with the Jets in his four-year career. He plays a premium position. Huff is coming off of a career year where he posted 10 sacks.
Fitzgerald told Cimini that Huff “could be asking for as much as $20 million per year” on a new deal. However, he predicted that the former undrafted free agent would settle in the “$17 to $18 million [per year] range” on a new deal.
“I think the public pressure is going to be so high, and it’s going to be really bad if they lose him, so maybe they end up overpaying a little bit to keep him,” Fitzgerald explained to Cimini.
Huff is the perfect homegrown story. He was picked up off of the scrap heap as an undrafted free agent. The former Memphis product developed over the years into a plus player at a premium position. Now he has reached the end of the rainbow and is expecting to be rewarded for his patience.
Cimini noted that the franchise tag, projected at $23 million for a defensive end, “is seen as an unlikely outcome.”
I’ve been told by team insiders that there is a very real chance the Jets lose him to the open market. If that happens the only possible compensation the Jets would receive is a potential 2025 third-round compensatory pick.
Even that isn’t guaranteed because the comp pick formula is based on players you lose versus the money you spend in that same offseason. There is a real world that the Jets lose Huff and get nothing back if they spend enough in free agency. It would be an epic disaster from a PR perspective.
Expert’s Prediction Is Only Way Jets Retain Huff
I’ve been told the franchise tag isn’t considered a legitimate option for Huff. If that is true the only way the Jets can retain Huff is by signing him ahead of free agency.
Based on everything Huff has said both publically and privately, he plans on testing the open market. Huff wants to get the most possible money he can. The only way to truly maximize that is by testing his value when 32 teams are bidding for him at the same time.
Fitzgerald predicted that the Jets would be affected by the public pressure and perception of losing Huff for nothing so they would “overpay” to keep him. The Jets handing over the equivalent of a blank check is the only way it makes sense for Huff to not test the market.
Will the Jets do that? They have Will McDonald and Jermaine Johnson on the roster, both former first-round draft choices. Owner Woody Johnson has put public pressure on the organization to invest his money and resources into the offensive side of the ball.
Cimini said Huff’s market will be “robust” if we reach the legal tampering period [March 11] and he remains unsigned.
Former Jets defensive lineman Mike DeVito provided a really interesting perspective when talking with Cimini on “The Flight Deck Podcast.” He is a former UDFA and faced a decision of loyalty or a bag of money.
DeVito explained his decision-making back in 2013 and the things he weighed during that time. These are the exact same things Huff will be thinking about over the coming weeks.
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