Quinnen Williams was the stud top draft pick from 2019, Carl Lawson and Vinny Curry were signed to be the pass rush specialists, and Sheldon Rankins got a two-year deal to join Williams inside, leaving John-Franklin Myers as the “next man up” on the Jets’ defensive line coming into 2021.
Just five weeks into the season, though, Myers is the star, signing a contract extension Thursday reportedly worth up to $55 million (with $30 million guaranteed) over four years.
A huge jump from the $920,000 he’s making this year, but in reality, there was nowhere else Myers wanted to be.
“We play football for money, but to me, this is not about the money; it’s about the environment, and being able to play with the guys and win football games,” Myers said on Friday as the Jets prepared to face the Falcons in London. “With this coaching staff, and the guys they give me the opportunity to play with, I won’t be in a better position anywhere. The defense suits me perfectly.”
There was “no question” for Myers to sign it once the numbers matched up, completing a rise for a player who never won a game in high school, saw all of his college wins stripped due to NCAA sanctions, and then was released by the Rams after being a fourth-round pick in 2018 and recording a strip sack of Tom Brady in the Super Bowl months later.
However, there’s one regret Myers had about the deal as he spoke from London.
“I wish my son was there when I signed it. It just happened so fast, you don’t know how fast those talks go and we wanted to get it done before we got to London,” Myers said.
And so, the first person he called to break the news to was his young son, who also happens to be the focus of his Twitter cover photo.
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“I wanted to talk to him because I play football for him,” Myers said, getting emotional in the middle of the thought. “I play for him and I just want to give him every opportunity.”
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