Gang Green Nation
The Jets try making a smart move on for size.
For the past 15 years, the Jets have had a habit of doing things completely differently from how the best teams in the NFL usually operate. Then they have acted shocked when things haven’t worked out.
The formula for success in the NFL is pretty simple. Executing the formula effectively might be hard, but knowing the formula isn’t.
A key part of the formula is drafting quality players and keeping them on the team through their prime years.
Former general manager Joe Douglas certainly had his share of faults, but one major positive from his tenure was the talent he added to the roster in the 2021 and 2022 NFL Drafts. These classes provided the Jets with a real base of young talent for the first time in recent memory.
At his introductory press conference a few months back, general manager Darren Mougey stated that extending the team’s young talent was a top priority. That’s easy to say. Practically every new general manager in the league says something similar at their introductory presser. The proof comes from action.
Good teams are built in the NFL through developing and keeping homegrown talent. I’m sure as a Jets fan you can appreciate the truth in that statement. The big names in free agency tend to be guys like Le’Veon Bell (stars who are only available because they are risky), Trumaine Johnson (declining good players), and Allen Lazard (overrated players). The true franchise changes like Patrick Mahomes and Joe Burrow never make free agency. You need to build internally. That’s how the good teams do it.
Perhaps the Jets are starting to learn.
2. On paper you can argue this contract overpays Garrett Wilson, but that argument falls apart once you consider the cost of him leaving.
Garrett’s new contract gives him an average annual salary of $32.5 million per year. That’s the fifth highest annual salary in the league per Over the Cap’s data.
To an extent I can understand somebody having reservations over this contract from that standpoint. Garrett Wilson is making top five money. Is he a top five receiver?
I don’t think this is really the right way to frame the situation, however.
Imagine Garrett Wilson left. How would you replace him?
The best wide receiver to change teams in free agency this year was Stefon Diggs. He’s 31, coming off a torn ACL, and known to be a bit of a difficult locker room guy. The second best wide receiver to change teams was DeAndre Hopkins. He just turned 33 and is coming off the least productive year of his career. The third best wide receiver to change teams was Diontae Johnson, a player who was waived by two Playoff teams in the span of a month last year.
When you look at the alternatives, there’s a good chance you quickly...
