FanPost

AGOP: Taking The Next Step

Jets Offseason Plan

Already Done

New GM: Mike Maccagnan

New Coach: Todd Bowles

Cut RB Chris Johnson

Trade 5th round pick for WR Brandon Marshall

Re-Sign ILB David Harris 3yr/ 21.5 Mill

Roster Cuts:

· Percy Harvin – WR (I would have liked to restructure Harvin’s contract to reduce his cap number but it doesn’t appear he is willing to take a pay cut for the Jets. Now with the addition of Brandon Marshall, I am letting him walk).

56.3 mill in available cap space (Overthecap.com)

Re-signings:

· Leger Douzable - DE (Good and consistent player who provides depth) 2yr/3.5 mill

· Nick Bellore - ILB (Above average special teams player who provides leadership and inside linebacker depth) 1yr/1mill

· Damon Harrison - DT (Key cog in the middle of our defensive line on 1st and 2nd down) 1st round tender - $2,396,000

· Bilal Powell – RB (Very average but is capable of doing everything. Also provides depth and his best years are ahead of him) 2yr/4mill

· Tanner Purdum – LS (No need to replace one of the better long snappers in the game) 1yr/950K

· Benjamin Iljana – OT (Extra O-line depth and a developmental talent) 1yr/950K

Extension:

· Mo Wilkerson – DE (Face of the franchise and cornerstone of the defense) 6yr/75mill (Back-loaded)

Free Agents:

· Antonio Cromartie – CB (Has publically stated he would welcome a return to New York and we need all the help we can get at the cornerback position. I do hesitate because of Cromartie’s age but I feel as though he is worth the risk.) 2yr/ 9mill

· Byron Maxwell – CB (The Jets go all-in at cornerback and make their biggest splash of free agency) 5yr/ 50mill (Back-loaded)

· Louis Delmas – FS (While it would be ideal to grab Devin McCourty in this spot, he will likely command a salary that would be out of our range after the signing of Maxwell and Cromartie. Louis Delmas is a solid option who will also allow Calvin Pryor to play the more natural Strong Safety position. Delmas will be operating more as a "band-aid solution" rather than for the long-term) 1yr/ 3mill

· CJ Spiller – RB (The Jets re-unite Spiller with Gailey in hopes that they can come close to repeating their success together) 3yr/15mill (Largely Incentive Based)

· Clint Boling – OG (I don’t see the Jets getting into a bidding war for either Iupati or Franklin. However, we are still able to vastly improve our offensive line with the addition of Boling). 4yr/20mill

· James Carpenter – OG (Like Boling, Carpenter provides stability and will be an upgrade over Willie Colon, Brian Winters and Oday Aboushi) 4yr/20mill

· Chris Canty – DE/DT (Provides veteran leadership along a young defensive line and will serve as a good rotational player) 1yr/2mill

Draft: (Allocate 6 Million in cap space for draft picks)

Trade: Jets trade 6th overall pick to the Eagles for their 2015 1st round pick (20th overall), 2016 1st round pick, 2015 2nd round pick (52nd overall) and QB Nick Foles

Logic: Jets are able to gain extra premium picks to continue to build their roster and gain a solid veteran starting quarterback

· 1st T.J. Clemmings (Pittsburgh) – OT (The Jets complete their offensive line overhaul with this selection and vastly improve both their run and pass blocking)

· 2nd Eli Harold (Virginia)- OLB (In the second round the Jets add an high quality edge rusher who can compete for a starting position right away, I believe he slips to the Jets due to some character concerns)

· 2nd Phillip Dorsett (Miami) – WR (Here the Jets are able to add a speed demon who can take over the role vacated by Percy Harvin)

· 3rd Gerod Holliman (Lousiville) – FS (The Jets are able to add a developmental free safety who has a lot of upside and can contribute)

· 4th Nick O’Leary (Florida State) – TE (Here the Jets essentially select Jeff Cumberland’s replacement, a two tight-end set of Amaro and O’Leary has the potential to be deadly)

· 7th Trey DePreist (Alabama) – ILB (With very little depth at inside linebacker, DePreist represents good value here)

Depth Chart

Offense - 25

QB: Foles, Smith, Simms

RB: Ivory, Spiller, Powell

FB: Bohanon

TE: Amaro, O’Leary (R), Cumberland

WR: Marshall, Decker, Kerley, Dorsett (R), Evans

OT: Ferguson, Iljana, Giacomini, Clemmings (R)

OG: Carpenter, Boling, Winters, Aboushi

C: Mangold, Freeman

Defense - 25

DE: Wilkerson, Richardson, Douzable

DT: Harrison, Canty

OLB: Pace, Coples, Harold (R), Babin, Reilly, IK

ILB: Harris, Davis, Bellore, DePreist (R)

CB: Maxwell, Cromartie, Milliner, McDougle, Williams, Walls

FS: Delmas, Holliman (R)

SS: Pryor, Allen

Special Teams – 3

K: Folk

P: Quigley

LS: Purdum

General Comments:

Thus far, I approve of all of the moves that the Jets have made. I debated on keeping Harvin at a reduced price and no longer signing Spiller. They both are best when they get the ball in space and have similar skill sets. If I would have done this a running back like Duke Johnson would have been targeted in the draft. I opted against it because Spiller is a much cheaper option, has excelled in Gailey’s offense and is not a locker room head ache. The majority of the "Re-Signings" I made were depth moves on guys who think have value but should not be paid a premium price. The only exception to this rule is Damon Harrison who I believe is deserving of a 1st round tender and is an integral part of the defense. I let Kendrick Ellis walk because I did not deem it cost effective to keep both him and Harrison. I could see the Jets bringing back both Dawan Landry and Willie Colon in reduced roles but in my mock I was able to find their replacements in free agency or the draft. Kyle Wilson was an afterthought as I am convinced he will not be back. Extending Mo Wilkerson has to be a Top 3 priority for the Jets. He is the face of the franchise and if we want to keep him happy he needs to be paid sooner rather than later. I have noticed in many other mock off-season’s most people have the Jets spending virtually all of their cap space and grossly overpaying players. While I think it is essential that the Jets are aggressive in free agency, you don’t create a contender by wasting money. In my mind the two areas that I wanted to address the most were the secondary and the offensive line. I feel as though I gave Cromartie a fair contract that he would likely accept due to his desire to return to New York. Maxwell is the only real splurge that I have in free agency but I feel as though it is necessary as he is the top cornerback on the market (similar to Decker last year). I don’t see Revis leaving New England but if he does, his name may replace Maxwell’s. I would have loved to add Devin McCourty to this secondary but he will likely be way too expensive. I see Louis Delmas as a safe and cheap alternative that can provide above average safety play and pave the way for Holliman. Again, I don’t see the Jets going hard after Iupati or Franklin but instead going after the second-tier of the offensive guard market. Boling and Carpenter are huge upgrades over what we previously had and we don’t need to break the bank to add them. With the addition of these two, whoever is our starting quarterback can drop back and not have to worry about getting mauled every play. Finally, Chris Canty is simply a depth signing. He is a veteran who still has something left in the tank (similar to Jason Babin last year). In my opinion T.J. Barnes is still too raw and does not have the talent to backup Damon Harrison at this stage in his career. As for the draft, the Jets make a blockbuster trade and pass on QB Marcus Mariota. Chip Kelly’s affinity for Mariota is well documented and I get the impression that he will give the Jets an offer they can’t refuse. Additionally, I don’t like the idea of starting over at quarterback when the majority of the rest of our roster is ready to take the next step and begin to seriously compete. Outside of this, I don’t see Mariota as a great fit for the Jets and I am unsure how his production will translate to the NFL. In this trade the Jets move back in the first, gain a second, QB Nick Foles and the Eagles 2016 1st round draft pick. Once this trade is complete, Nick Foles becomes our starting QB as he is a clear upgrade over Geno Smith. In the first round I see the Jets drafting the underwhelming Breno Giacomini’s replacement, T.J. Clemmings. Now armed with Boling, Carpenter and Clemmings, our offensive line has the potential to be one of the best in the league. I intentionally ignored the outside linebacker position in free agency simply because this year’s draft is very deep in that position. I also see OLB Eli Harold slipping to the Jets in the early second round. Harold is a player who can start right away with Coples or Pace playing on the other side. Harold is the explosive speed rusher that the Jets have been missing all of these years. Later in the second (with the pick we received from Philadelphia) I have the Jets selecting WR Phillip Dorsett. Dorsett can straight up fly and will bring a speed element to our offense. Harvin was this element last season but he became expendable after the acquisition of Brandon Marshall; even though they are very different players. Dorsett fills this void. In the third, I have the Jets selecting FS Gerod Holliman out of Louisville. Holliman had 13intereptions last season and can be the turnover creating safety the Jets need. However, I would no necessarily throw him into the starting lineup right away as the college game is very different from the NFL game. After a year in a complementary role, Holliman should be a viable starter. In the fourth, I think the Jets have the ability to make a luxury pick which is why I selected TE Nick O’Leary. O’leary was one of Jameis Winston’s favorite targets and could create a deadly combo with Jace Amaro. The reason why I believe the Jets have this luxury is because they have already filled the majority of their needs and I see O’Leary being one of the better players available at this stage in the draft. However, I will admit I debated taking a running back like David Cobb to compliment Ivory and Spiller. Finally, in the 7th round Trey DePreist represents good value and inside linebacker depth. Naturally, I have some criticism of my own mock offseason. The two biggest ones are relying on a draft day trade to resolve the quarterback situation and a lack of depth at inside linebacker. The Jets can’t count on Mariota being there while they are picking so they must have some contingencies. Some names that I would keep an eye on are Brian Hoyer, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Ryan Mallet. If any of these names were to also come aboard, it would create a three-way quarterback competition with Foles and Geno. In terms of inside linebacker depth, re-signing David Harris and drafting Trey DePreist are steps in the right direction but if Demario Davis or David Harris were to get injured I don’t trust Nick Bellore or Trey DePreist to take on a starting role. As a result I could see the Jets spending a mid-round draft pick on this position or signing a low risk high reward free agent like Mason Foster. Overall, I believe that my mock offseason leaves the Jets in a much better position on the offensive side of the ball. With a new QB, an overhauled offensive line and added explosiveness and play-making ability at the skill positions the Jets have no excuse not to be a Top 15 offense. On the defensive side of the ball, a brand new secondary with added depth along the front seven should be more than enough to maintain a Top 10 defense. Outside of all of this, by not grossly overspending in free agency I maintained cap flexibility for in season acquisitions and future off-season’s.



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