The New York Jets made a trade ahead of the NFL deadline to add a security blanket to the quarterback room.
General manager Joe Douglas tapped into his old connections with the Philadelphia Eagles to bring former Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco to the green and white.
The Jets sent a conditional 2022 sixth-round pick that has a chance to become a fifth-rounder based on certain playing time incentives (Flacco plays 50 percent or more of the snaps in four games this season).
While folks inside the building were excited about the deal, that wasn’t the case for everyone around the NFL.
ALL the latest Jets news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Jets newsletter here!
Gang Green Got Absolutely Ripped
Kevin Seifert of ESPN will be grading trades as they happen ahead of the November 2 deadline and he went off when evaluating the Flacco deal:
Jets’ grade: D
Eagles’ grade: B+
“For two seasons, Flacco has been the veteran backup that no one wants on the field — including the Eagles. Kudos to the Eagles for getting compensation of any kind for Flacco, whose teams are 2-10 in his last 12 starts.
[The Jets] should be embarrassed of their team-building process at the position. After correctly determining that Flacco was unsuitable to continue as their backup, they stacked unproven Mike White and journeyman Josh Johnson behind rookie starter Zach Wilson. With Wilson set to miss at least a few weeks because of a knee injury, the Jets felt compelled to give up a draft asset to bring Flacco back.
The deal surely won’t threaten the Jets’ future, but the glimpse it provides into the Jets’ inner workings is far from favorable.”
At the end of the day, it’s only a sixth-round pick and at worst a fifth-rounder. After this trade, the Jets still have nine picks in the upcoming 2022 NFL draft (and all of those selections are in the first five rounds).
Also to make matters worse, Gang Green plans on starting Mike White on Sunday vs the Cincinnati Bengals and if he plays well will keep the job. Which further makes you question the timing and purpose of this trade.
What Really Happened Here?
Listen to the latest Gang’s All Here Podcast with special guest Joe Benigno:
Apple: t.co/U2fDdLgWl2
Spotify:
On the Gang’s All Here podcast, Brian Costello of the New York Post provided some insight on the Flacco decision.
“The Jets had an interest in Joe during the offseason, but there were two factors at play here. One Flacco wanted to go somewhere where he thought he could play and that wasn’t going to be with the Jets. The other factor and I think this is more important was the money. The Eagles gave him $2.5 million signing bonus and a $1 million in salary. The Jets were never going to do that for a backup quarterback. So now they’re getting him for $600,000 bucks for the rest of the season.”
As we all know it takes two to tango. The Jets wanted Flacco but apparently, the feeling wasn’t mutual.
Now they get him via trade to be the break-the-glass emergency if they need him. Whether White implodes on Sunday vs Bengals, another injury, or it takes rookie Zach Wilson even longer to return from his PCL strain.
Follow @BoyGreen25 & @obermuller_nyj on Twitter for all the latest New York Jets breaking news, rumors, fresh takes, and more!
READ NEXT: Jets Sign Longtime Linebacker, Try out Talented Twin Brother: Report
Comments
NFL Analyst Rakes Jets Over the Coals for Joe Flacco Trade