*2020 Offseason Mock*

[KimuraGod]

Jets offseason;

 

Starting the offseason we look to resign some our own guys; our 2020 cap number is around $65m according to spotrac.

 

We agree to a 3 year deal with Brian Poole. He’s already said he loves playing in NY and I think a $8m year contract (which is more than double his yearly salary from last offseason) is a fair price.

 

Robby Anderson doesn’t hit FA and we tie him to a 4yr deal. Robby gives us the deep threat we all know about but also his hands and route running are improving all the time. Averages around the $10m a year he’s looking for. 

 

Kelvin Beachum is also brought back but for a modest 1yr $5m deal. He can help bridge for a rookie or even start at RT if needed. Gives us plenty of flexibility. 

 

Neville Hewitt really stepped up well for us this season and with further moves we are making later in the offseason we need him resigned. A 2yr deal gets it done at $4m per year. 

 

We need some stability to the o-line and Alex Lewis was good for us (certainly to start before injuries wore him down) so a 1yr $3m deal works for both parties here. 

 

We also bring back Terrell Basham, Bilal Powell and Lachlan Edwards on vet min deals. 

 

Cap room sits at around $32m at this point. 

 

The biggest snub here is Jordan Jenkins. I like JJ a lot and would resign him if the money was right but I feel he will get similar money to other OLBs on the market who provide much better and consistent pass rush. 

 

The players cut from the squad include: Trumaine Johnson, Brian Winters, Avery Williamson, Josh Bellamy, Quincy Enunwa, Jonothon Harrison and Daryl Roberts. Don’t think any really need a huge explanation. All save us a fortune. Avery is a good run stopper but his money can go get us a starting cornerback instead. Q will more than likely never play again, one of my favourite Jets over the last few years. 

 

 

Going into free agency we are heavily targeting both O-Line and Pass rush with both positions looked at for long term signings. Wide receiver and cornerback is also important to us but we are looking at shorter term options. 

 

With that being said our signings are as follows:

 

We bring in Jack Conklin to a 5yr $75m deal. He is one of the best run blocking tackles in the league plus he’s allowed 9.5 sacks over the last 4 years which shows he can protect Sam too. 

 

We also add to the line with the signing of Ted Karras to a 4 year $24m deal. Capable of playing both centre and guard (he started all year at Centre) he adds more youth and quality to the line. 

 

On the defensive side of the ball we look for two outside linebackers. We splash the cash and bring in Yannick Ngakoue to a 5yr $85m deal and also Vic Beasley to a 3yr deal at around $6m per year. 

 

We also agree a 3yr deal with Greg Zuerlein at around $3m per year. I really hate not having a reliable kicker so we invest some decent money but get a really good kicker with good power too.  

 

As for shorter term options we bring in:

 

Ronald Darby and Artie Burns to 2yr deals. Darby is only 25yrs old but again was placed on IR so he will need to have a year or two before hitting the market again. Also Burns has been a total bust in Pitt but there’s a chance he can turn it around here. 

 

Devin Funchess is signed to a 1yr deal after breaking his collarbone week one so looks for a short term deal and hits the market in 2021. He has huge upside in this system and I was hoping we’d sign him last offseason. 

 

Blake Bortles is also signed to a 1yr $1m deal. I know people will say he’s trash and that’s cool but when I’ve watched he’s torched us every time.   

 

 

2020 NFL Draft:

 

*We trade back in the 1st round with Philadelphia for their 1st, 2nd and 4th round picks. 

 

 

1-(21) Mekhi Becton OT Louisville. A huge tackle at 6’7 350lbs with unreal power and great footwork/mobility. May need a little time hence bringing back Beachum for insurance however some in league circles thing he will hit the ground running. Potential to block Sams blindside for the next decade. 

 

2-(48) Julian Okwara OLB Norte Dame. Hope to find our bookend to the signed Ngakoue at linebacker. Hopefully alongside the also signed Vic Beasley we create lots of pressure on opposing qbs this year. Great size for the position too.

 

2-(53) Justin Jefferson WR LSU. Has the height and presence of an outside receiver with excellent hands and route running. May not have elite speed but still good on the deep ball due to his tracking and high pointing of the ball. 

 

3-(68) Solomon Kindley OG Georgia. We again use a premium resource in improving our terrible offensive line. Kindley offers tremendous size, athleticism and power and slots in at right guard which we hope will be for a long time. 

 

3-(79) Cameron Dantzler CB Mississippi State.  One of my favourite cornerback prospects. Offers great size and athletic traits which match up against teams outside receivers. Needs work on improving his game but the potential is there. Can’t teach 6’2 190lbs. Hopefully we can develop him into a starter in a years time. 

 

4-(110) Eno Benjamin RB Arizona State. Bit of a luxury pick I must admit but he can give our offense something completely different. Will be a change of pace type back maybe never an every down guy but he has big play ability and still very young. 

 

4-(117) Zack Baun OLB Wisconsin. Another somewhat luxury pick but this guy can really rush the passer. 12.5 sacks last year but he is really lightweight which will mean he’s not an every down player. I know that’s a bit risky drafting a guy you know won’t play every down with a 4th round pick but Baun added to Ngakoue, Beasley and Okwara gives us a four headed pass rush team. 

 

5-(140) Zach Shackleford OC Texas. More picks on the o-line!! May turn into a solid player for us and who knows could make his career at either centre or guard for us. More flexibility and potential on the line. I feel we need to allocate resources to protecting Sm long term and this is just another piece. 

 

6-(190) Tyler Huntley QB Utah. I always want us to develop quarterbacks not because I don’t believe Sam is the answer but for injuries and as evident this year it can ruin seasons. Huntley has great athleticism and a really powerful zip on his passes. I think we can develop him and even sprinkle him in on specific plays just like the Saints do with Hill. 

 

Depth Chart:

 

Qb- Darnold, Bortles, Huntley

Rb- Bell, Benjamin, Powell

Fb- Wesco

Wr- Anderson, Smith 

Slot- Crowder, Berrios

Wr- Jefferson, Funchess

Te- Herndon, Griffin, Wesco

Lt- Becton, Beachum

Lg- Lewis, McDermott

C- Karras, Shackleton

Rg- Kindley, Compton

Rt- Conklin, Edoga

 

De- Anderson, Shepherd

Nt- Fatukasi, McLendon

De- Williams, Phillips, Franklin-Myers

Olb- Ngakoue, Baun, Willis

Mlb- Mosley, Cashman

Mlb- Hewitt, Burgess

Olb- Okwara, Beasley, Basham

Cb- Darby, Dantzler, Maulet

Slot- Poole, Hairston

Cb- Austin, Burns, 

Fs- Maye, Miles

Ss- Adams, Countess

 

So in conclusion its clear we aren’t set in all positions as it’s so difficult to do in one offseason with the amount of problems we have. However in this mock I wanted to spend lots of resources both in the draft and FA to massively upgrade both the O-line and our pass rush. We’ve also added a few nice playmakers for Sam too. Cornerback is a position which will need to be addressed but I feel we have just about enough to work through it and enough potential in Austin and Dantzler to maybe strike gold. I’d look for a vet maybe if Darby isn’t fully ready to go someone like Aqib Talib would be a nice short term signing.

[NJC33]

I'd sign on for this but I don't think it's realistic. Robby has already stated he will test free agency and is expected to get more than $10M per. I don't see us signing two splash free agents, hopefully one (Conklin would be highest on my list). Really like the low risk/high reward signings of Burns and Beasley, Darby too but I expect there to be a bigger market for him. That's ultimately how I'd like to see us approach defense in FA, get a bunch of talented guys for cheap and ask GW to coach them up. As for the draft, hard to say because it's a crapshoot at this point but I doubt Becton last till 21. 

[Bobby816]

I like it. Seems optimistic in FA and the draft. But overall like the idea of the offseason.

[rampantjet]

Zack Baun is not gonna be there in the 4th.  There is buzz that he might work his way into the back end of the 1st.  Heck I'd take him over Okwara.

I like Jefferson, but he played mainly out of the slot.  If the team thinks that he can move outside consistently then fine, but we really need an outside guy.

[jetskid007]

This would be best case scenario in many ways. Just can't see Ngakoue shaking free and us landing Becton at 21, but I'd love it if those things happened. 

[KimuraGod]

On 21/01/2020 at 11:01 AM, NJC33 said:

I'd sign on for this but I don't think it's realistic. Robby has already stated he will test free agency and is expected to get more than $10M per. I don't see us signing two splash free agents, hopefully one (Conklin would be highest on my list). Really like the low risk/high reward signings of Burns and Beasley, Darby too but I expect there to be a bigger market for him. That's ultimately how I'd like to see us approach defense in FA, get a bunch of talented guys for cheap and ask GW to coach them up. As for the draft, hard to say because it's a crapshoot at this point but I doubt Becton last till 21. 

I think Robby may get a little more than the money I’ve quoted but I don’t think it will be crazy more to a point where a deal can’t be made. 
 

Iv got us signing Conklin but if he doesn’t hit FA you can throw any other top tier o lineman. At this stage of the offseason (for us anyway) we don’t know what’s happening so it’s all based of projections. 
 

Same on the defensive side of the ball...if one top tier pass rusher is gone the move into the next. There will be quite a few interesting names on the market this year. 

[KimuraGod]

21 hours ago, Bobby816 said:

I like it. Seems optimistic in FA and the draft. But overall like the idea of the offseason.

Optimism it most certainly is but at this stage it’s so hard to accurately project what will play out....that’s part of the crazy NFL offseason!! 

[KimuraGod]

14 hours ago, rampantjet said:

Zack Baun is not gonna be there in the 4th.  There is buzz that he might work his way into the back end of the 1st.  Heck I'd take him over Okwara.

I like Jefferson, but he played mainly out of the slot.  If the team thinks that he can move outside consistently then fine, but we really need an outside guy.

Iv seen Baun as high as a second rounder and then in a few mocks at the bottom of the 4th. Really is such a bad time to do a  mock offseason with little factual evidence so it’s more of a guess/fun.

Yeah I’ve watched Jefferson a lot and think we can move him all over. I think we don’t need a superstar wide receiver (having one would be nice of course) but if we can have 3/4 very good receivers all with traits AG looks for we add them to our two tight ends and LB and we’ve got some really good options. 

[rampantjet]

8 hours ago, xenajets said:

Iv seen Baun as high as a second rounder and then in a few mocks at the bottom of the 4th. Really is such a bad time to do a  mock offseason with little factual evidence so it’s more of a guess/fun.

Yeah I’ve watched Jefferson a lot and think we can move him all over. I think we don’t need a superstar wide receiver (having one would be nice of course) but if we can have 3/4 very good receivers all with traits AG looks for we add them to our two tight ends and LB and we’ve got some really good options. 

I can certainly be sold on Jefferson having the ability to move around and do more.  

As far as Baun I have heard that he might light up the combine which could drive him even higher.  2nd round seems most likely to me.  If he dropped to the 3rd I'd be into it.

[KimuraGod]

11 hours ago, rampantjet said:

I can certainly be sold on Jefferson having the ability to move around and do more.  

As far as Baun I have heard that he might light up the combine which could drive him even higher.  2nd round seems most likely to me.  If he dropped to the 3rd I'd be into it.

Yeah Jefferson has the movement of a bigger receiver in the same ilk as a Allen/Thomas. Not saying he’s as good as them but he can certainly move around and line up all over as evident at his time in Baton Rouge.

Your right Baun very well may blow up the combine as he will run a fast 40. Will be interesting to see his weight as from what a read he was going to try packing some weight on as there was some reports saying he was 235lbs. 

[rickyt31]

I love your draft. 

[Rich51]

overall, I like this
Just some nitpicking - I’d rather keep Harrison since he can backup at C and G, than resign Lewis. Neither played well so I would rather the more versatile Harrison and  save almost 2m. I would also bring back Canady. I’m happy to see you have Maulet on the roster but he is a FA. I think both played well and would rather have both of them as backups than Burns. Cutting Williamson saves 6m . I would rather a healthy Williamson over Hewitt. The cost difference is only 2m but I think Williamson, when healthy,  is a much better player. Also Beasley had 8 sacks last season so he might command more than 6m

I like your draft but If we do sign both Beasley and Ngakoue, I don’t see us double dipping at edge. I understand your logic but I’m still under the belief that if Willis loses his DE weight he could be a big s time player at edge OLB.

 

 

[NYJets4716]

If you want Becton, you are gonna have to take him at 11 if he falls. 

[KimuraGod]

19 hours ago, NYJets4716 said:

If you want Becton, you are gonna have to take him at 11 if he falls. 

Yes that’s looking more likely now. I started my mock at the beginning of Jan and was adding to it over time. His name has blown up over the last two weeks 

[KimuraGod]

23 hours ago, Rich51 said:

overall, I like this
Just some nitpicking - I’d rather keep Harrison since he can backup at C and G, than resign Lewis. Neither played well so I would rather the more versatile Harrison and  save almost 2m. I would also bring back Canady. I’m happy to see you have Maulet on the roster but he is a FA. I think both played well and would rather have both of them as backups than Burns. Cutting Williamson saves 6m . I would rather a healthy Williamson over Hewitt. The cost difference is only 2m but I think Williamson, when healthy,  is a much better player. Also Beasley had 8 sacks last season so he might command more than 6m

I like your draft but If we do sign both Beasley and Ngakoue, I don’t see us double dipping at edge. I understand your logic but I’m still under the belief that if Willis loses his DE weight he could be a big s time player at edge OLB.

 

 

I get the positional flexibility Harrison gives us over Lewis but with the additions in the draft we are more than set at centre. Also I disagree on Lewis..I thought he looked good before injuries and poor play around him slowed him down. I think a healthy Lewis playing with better players can do a job for us. Just my two cents.

I like Williamson but his style of play isn’t worth the money his salary commands and to be truthful I thought Hewitt looked really good and deserves to start alongside Mosely next year.

Beasley may get more cash but I don’t think it would be massively more. And the reason for double dipping at OLB even after signing two players in FA is that I want us to create a fierce pass rush and keeping guys fresh and ready. So desperate for OLB to be really addressed once and for all.