Getty Former New York Jets defensive back Trey Dean speaking with Aaron Rodgers during practice.
The New York Jets lost a promising young player to start the offseason.
uStadium shared on X previously Twitter that Gang Green wanted to sign defensive back Trey Dean “to a futures deal.” However multiple playoff teams “offered” him a contract to continue his 2023 season in a different uniform.
Ultimately he decided to join the Kansas City Chiefs. uStadium said Dean is “eligible and is expected to play in the postseason.”
Dean seemingly confirmed the news by reposting a tweet that discussed his new home with the Chiefs.
Jets Have Major Question Marks at the Safety Position
Another one bites the dust.
Dean’s departure leaves the Jets with more questions than answers at the safety spot. Three more safeties on the roster are scheduled to be unrestricted free agents this offseason.
Ashtyn Davis, Jordan Whitehead, and Chuck Clark are on the verge of reaching the open market. If that holds, the Jets would only have two safeties left on the roster: Tony Adams and Jarrick Bernard-Converse.
The green and white will either have to blow up the position or bring several of their own players back to the fold in 2024.
Adams Is a Fantastic Success Story for the Jets
The Jets have plenty of work to do at the safety position this offseason. Although they can rest easy knowing they have at least one of the starting gigs locked down.
Adams was signed as an undrafted free agent after his name wasn’t called during the 2022 NFL draft. Leading up to final roster cuts, the Jets brass raised a lot of eyebrows when the team decided to hold onto the unheralded former Illinois product.
Head coach Robert Saleh said Adams, “unseated a bunch of guys we all thought were going to make the team” back in August.
#Jets HC Robert Saleh admitted that ‘I guess the cats coming out of the bag’ on DB Tony Adams (@Iwill_suceed20), ‘unbelievable mental makeup’ + ‘undrafted free agent [that] unseated a bunch of guys we all thought were going to make the team’ + ‘made it impossible for us to cut…
The coaching staff was so impressed by what Adams showed this past offseason that he received the veteran treatment.
Whether or not he was going to make the final 53-man roster wasn’t a question. Instead, the Jets rested him in preseason games because he was considered a locked-in starter.
Saleh admitted, “I guess the cat’s coming out of the bag” on how much they love Adams and what he means to the team.
This past season was his first chance to be a full-time starter in the NFL and he didn’t disappoint. Adams started in 15 out of 17 games, made three interceptions, had five pass deflections, and registered over 82 tackles.
He wasn’t a perfect player by any means. Throughout the year he had several inconsistencies from a tackling perspective that put the team in some bad positions.
However, Adams does have the Jets in a great position moving forward for cap purposes. Adams, 24, is under team control in 2024 for less than $1 million. In 2025 he will be a restricted free agent. The talented defensive back won’t get an opportunity to reach the open market until the year 2026.
NFL teams that find undrafted free-agent gems get rewarded with cheap labor over a multi-year period. The Jets were one of the lucky ones from that perspective and Adams should only get better with the more reps he gets.