Getty New York Jets general manager Joe Douglas speaking at the podium during the NFL Combine.
The New York Jets “might not be done” wheeling and dealing ahead of the NFL trade deadline on Tuesday, October 31.
ESPN NFL Insider Jeremy Fowler said as much in a column posted on Wednesday October 25. He was asked, “What are the other names you’ve heard the most in the trade deadline conversation?”
Fowler mentioned a few different players and then specifically singled out the Jets as a team to watch and said keep an eye out for veterans Carl Lawson and Dalvin Cook.
Lawson and Cook Have Minimal Roles on the Jets in 2023
Fowler said the reason both of those players could be on the move is due to the fact that they’re “playing minimal roles at this stage.”
Cook has appeared in all six games so far this season, but he is only playing 27 percent of the offensive snaps. Lawson on the other hand has only appeared in four contests and is playing even fewer snaps (24 percent).
That puts the Jets in an interesting position. They could flip two players that aren’t getting a lot of opportunities to another team getting a future asset back in return. Or the Jets could reject any trade inquiries and keep those players so they have depth.
The green and white know more than most that injuries can come at any time, and it might behoove them to hold onto these veterans just in case something happens. Ultimately it comes down to what general manager Joe Douglas prefers.
Both players are on expiring deals and are set to be unrestricted free agents in 2024. So, there is a realistic world where neither player returns to the Jets next season. Would you rather get something in return or potentially lose them for nothing?
Douglas has less than a week ahead of the deadline to answer that question.
Insider Addresses Jets QB Trade Speculation
Fowler said he doesn’t think the Tennessee Titans are done making moves either ahead of the deadline.
One player’s future who is very much up in the air is veteran quarterback Ryan Tannehill. Fowler said the Jets “would have made sense” but there are two complicating factors in that potential discussion.
Tannehill has a “bad ankle” after injuring it during the Week 6 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens. Secondly, Zach Wilson has been performing admirably over the last batch of weeks.
Barring a wild collapse from Wilson against the New York Giants and/or an injury, the Jets won’t be in the QB trade market. Instead, they will rally around a room featuring Tim Boyle, Trevor Siemian, and the aforementioned Wilson.
The rest of this season is about trying to end the NFL’s longest active playoff drought and if Wilson can be a developmental piece for the future. If he collapses like a used lawn chair, the Jets could cut bait in the offseason.
Aaron Rodgers is expected to return in 2024 at the very least, if not during the 2023 campaign from a torn Achilles. Wilson has done a standout job so far with the team at 3-3, but there is a lot of season left to go.