Getty New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh reacting during an NFL game.
The New York Jets could be losing another key piece in the later stages of free agency.
Maurice Moton of Bleacher Report recently predicted which of the remaining free agents will sign the biggest deals on the open market.
In those prognostications, he predicted that Kwon Alexander will receive the richest salary of any linebacker remaining on the market on a one-year deal for $4 million with $3 million of that guaranteed.
Additionally, he believes the Titans will be the team that ends up paying that price.
“On a decent salary, Alexander can bring experience to the Tennessee Titans’ linebacker corps. Azeez Al-Shaair and Monty Rice have 41 combined starts. For comparison, Alexander has 86 starts on his resume.”
Kwon Alexander Due for a Big Pay Raise in Free Agency
It took a while for Alexander to find an NFL home last offseason. He didn’t officially sign with the Jets until August 2.
In addition to the lateness of the deal, it also was surprisingly affordable.
The former LSU product inked a one-year deal for $1.27 million and it only featured $152,500 in total guarantees.
After a terrific season with the Jets in 2022, the veteran linebacker was due to receive a pay raise in 2023.
For the first time since 2016, Alexander was able to complete a full NFL season.
He didn’t only earn an attendance trophy for appearing in all 17 games but he also delivered statistically. Alexander finished with 69 total tackles, six tackles for loss, and forced a fumble.
Beyond the stat sheet, Alexander was the vocally emotional leader for the defense. He constantly was spotted on the sideline pumping up his fellow teammates and keeping everyone engaged.
Alexander participated in all of the 17 regular season games and ended up making 12 starts. He was often the third linebacker along with CJ Mosley and Quincy Williams on the second level of the defense.
Jets Patience Could Cost Them a Starter
Ahead of the legal tampering period opening up back on March 13, Alexander tweeted, “almost that time.”
Almost that time
Nearly a month later there have been crickets in terms of the veteran finding a new NFL home.
Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic openly speculated why that has been the case in an article posted on Friday, April 7.
“The lack of movement on Alexander makes me wonder if he thought he’d have a bigger market that hasn’t quite materialized.”
He then bluntly said that the 28-year-old who will turn 29 before the start of the 2023 season wasn’t a “priority” for the Jets this offseason. Gang Green decided to pay attention to other pressing issues on the roster.
It sounds like if an Alexander reunion is going to happen, it’ll be on the Jets’ terms once again.
Rosenblatt said that potential timeline would be in the aftermath of the 2023 NFL draft. If the Jets swing and miss on some linebacker targets perhaps Alexander at that point could be a fallback plan “on a veteran salary benefit deal again.”
The Jets have two of their starters back from last season in Mosley and Williams. The only thing that is currently missing is a third starter at linebacker.
If injuries hit this team again the LB unit could look a lot different in 2023, but that seems to be a risk the Jets are willing to take heading into April’s draft.