I'd like to go back to a concept I discussed at length during Darrelle Revis' holdout. Why are the Jets going hard after a cornerback? Are corners important enough to throw a ton of money at? For most teams, no. For the Jets, yes.
A team with a zone based defense should not pay top dollar. It is easy to find guys capable of covering a small space on the field. Teams that play a lot of cover 2 should not pay top dollar. It is not that tough to find guys who can cover for 20 yards and then let a safety take over.
For the Jets, paying a lot for corners makes sense. They blitz a ton and leave their corners playing a lot of man with little help. A corner in the Jets' defense frequently has to be able to cover a receiver one on one for the entire field. If a blitz gets picked up, it is the corner's responsiblity to make sure the receiver does not have an opening to allow a completion. Good coverage gives the pass rushers extra time to get to the quarterback.
When a team like the Jets can add corners like Darrelle Revis and Nnamdi Asomugha, they are worth their weight in gold in a way they would not be for most other teams.