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We are just hours away from the unofficial start of NFL free agency. It hasn’t been entirely clear how the Jets will operate during this period, but Connor Hughes of The Athletic says we should expect activity.
There is absolutely no financial restriction on Douglas this offseason, per sources. He has means & green light to build team however he wants.
— Connor Hughes (@Connor_J_Hughes) March 15, 2021
That means pursuing top-tier FAs and giving them top-tier $, if he wants.
Expectation from those around league is #NYJ make waves
Key thing here:
— Connor Hughes (@Connor_J_Hughes) March 15, 2021
While he will be aggressive, Joe Douglas will not get sucked into playing ball with teams throwing around silly money for sake of throwing around money.
He still has his walk-away numbers. “Joe doesn’t do desperate,” one team source told me. #Jets
Asked one league source familiar with team’s thinking if he had heard anything about #Jets during the illegal tampering period.
— Connor Hughes (@Connor_J_Hughes) March 15, 2021
“They want the big guys.”
Asked if he meant size or money.
“Both.”
A year ago there were rumors the Jets were staying out of the high end of free agency due to cash flow issues. While it was treated as some major story, it was really more common sense. The team had committed a ton of guaranteed money the previous offseason. That typically limits what can happen the following season. There seem to be no such limits this year.
I think the right approach for the Jets is to do as Hughes states, be aggressive without being reckless. Even with these resources, there is a point for each player where the Jets should walk away. Of course, that is very broad advice. The specifics of each negotiation is what matters most.