Much of the NFL market is in a wait-and-see mode as star quarterbacks like Deshaun Watson and Russell Wilson continue to be a part of trade speculation, but once pieces begin falling off the board, expect the Jets to be among the busiest teams.
NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo joined Moose & Maggie on Tuesday to discuss New York’s crucial offseason, and he expects general manager Joe Douglas and the front office to capitalize on the team’s extensive cap space and break the bank for significant upgrades this offseason.
“I think he’s going to open up the check book in free agency with the intention to strike,” Garafolo said of Douglas. “You’ll see upgrades on defense, they’ll try to get a receiver as well, I think you’re going to see a lot of action from Joe Douglas on this.”
One of the Jets’ biggest areas of need is on the offensive line, and with a superstar center in Corey Linsley now a free agent, Garafolo expects New York to be among the highest bidders for the former Packer.
“I would expect a much more aggressive Joe Douglas,” Garafolo said. “I expect bigger deals. They’re certainly going to address the offensive line. Corey Linsley is the hot center on the market. I do believe they’re going to have significant interest in him.”
Douglas made a number of signings last offseason, but as Garafolo noted, many were short-term deals, like one-year contracts for veterans like Frank Gore. This time, Garafolo sees Douglas going after much more impactful signings.
“He got a lot of criticism for last year, but last year to me, he was signing guys to kind of plug holes,” Garafolo said. “It wasn’t like ‘These are going to be guys that our part of the cornerstones of our franchise moving forward.’ A lot of those deals, they were multi-year deals, but a lot of them were one year guarantees, I think one of those deals had guarantees into the second year.”
The Jets still have plenty of holes to be plugged after a 2-14 season, but Garafolo doesn’t expect temporary fixes this time. With a plethora of cap space, New York could be among the teams with the most extensive transaction list by the time the offseason concludes.
“To me, this [offseason] is going to be different,” Garafolo said. “He’s going to sign guys he hopes to have around for the length of the contract they’re signing and perhaps beyond.”
Listen to Garafolo's full interview with Moose & Maggie below!
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