The New York Jets dropped their second straight game and their fifth loss overall through the first seven weeks of the season in a 54-13 bloodbath to the New England Patriots.
Now the green and white sit at a lowly 1-5 and if the season ended today they would hold the No. 4 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft.
November 2 is the NFL trade deadline and the decision on what to do isn’t as simple as it seems for the Jets.
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Zach Wilson Muddies the Waters
Adding insult to injury, Jets’ rookie quarterback Zach Wilson injured his PCL and is out for the next two to four weeks. With that, the green and white will hand the keys of the franchise to Mike White, oh boy.
With the NFL trade deadline just a week away (November 2), general manager Joe Douglas has a very intense and complicated decision to make.
On the surface, making a decision to either buy, sell, or hold pat with a 1-5 record would seem pretty self-explanatory, but nothing is ever that simple.
Wilson getting injured has muddied the waters.
If he would’ve been out for the season, then the decision would’ve been clear to sell everything off and get ready for next year. Since the former BYU stud is only out for a handful of weeks things are more complicated.
If they sell things off like one of the wide receivers, you’d be weakening the weapons around your young quarterback. Although if they choose not to sell things, they’re forgoing the opportunity to acquire future assets for pieces they’re likely going to lose for nothing anyway.
One Door Has Likely Been Shut Tight
While the decision to sell has a ton of layers, the decision to buy is likely over.
There was a thought among the fanbase that perhaps the Jets could be selective buyers at the deadline to surround their young quarterback with some more weapons.
Now that their quarterback is out for two to four weeks, that means when Wilson returns he’ll only have between seven and nine games remaining on the 2021 docket.
Instead of purchasing a rental, Gang Green will likely stay pat and rock with what they have. Any and all reinforcements for Wilson won’t be coming until the offseason.
Although the good news is they’ll have a lot of toys to play with:
- 10 picks in the 2022 NFL draft (including four in the first and second round).
- Projected to have over $57 million in cap space next offseason.
Add that to where they’ll be as a team in their second year with a full offseason of preparation, more knowledge of the scheme both offensively and defensively, and another season under their belt will be priceless.
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Jets’ Joe Douglas Faces Complicated Decision After Zach Wilson Injury