Jets general manager Joe Douglas is about to embark on his latest foray into free agency, and he has roster holes to fill.
Signing free agents is one of the trickiest things for any general manager.
Players become available for a reason. Sometimes it is because their team are unable to pay big money to retain the player, but more often it is because the player’s old team finds them expendable because of injury, ineffective play or character.
Despite that, players’ values inevitably get inflated on the open market. Players are viewed as among the best at their position instead of just the best available at their position.
The truly great players almost never hit free agency.
That leads to a lot of mistakes in free agency, and Douglas, who’s about to oversee the process for the fifth time with the Jets, has fallen into the trap more than once.
In 2020, Douglas searched for bargains and did not spend big money. In 2021 and 2022, there were several splash signings, many of which have not worked out. Allen Lazard, a 2023 signing, looks as if he is on his way to joining the group of free-agent regrets, but let’s give him more than a year to see if he can turn around his Jets career.
Today, I want to look at Douglas’ three biggest hits as well as his three biggest misses in free agency.
Truthfully, it was tough to narrow things down on the misses side. One thing I factored in was length of contract. He has handed out some really bad one-year contracts — Ryan Kalil, Dalvin Cook and Mecole Hardman come to mind — but those deals don’t really harm a team long-term. It is when you get into multiple-year contracts when you can start to do damage to the salary cap and the long-term plan for the team.
So let’s take a look back at the good, the bad and the ugly of Joe Douglas’ free agency:
Three biggest hits
D.J. Reed
Signed a three-year, $33 million contract with $10.5 million guaranteed in 2022
Reed was not a household name when the Jets signed him in 2022. He had started just 24 games in four seasons for the 49ers and Seahawks and had four interceptions.
But he has been Douglas’ best signing by far.
Reed and Sauce Gardner have combined to give the Jets one of the best cornerback duos in the sport. Reed is sticky in coverage and has been a leader in the locker room.
Furthermore, his contract is a bargain. So much so, it would not be surprising if Reed asks for a new deal before the 2024 season.
Tyler Conklin
Signed a three-year, $20.3 million contract with $10 million guaranteed in 2022
Conklin is another player who was not at the top of every free-agent list in 2022. He was viewed as a secondary signing at tight end by the Jets behind C.J. Uzomah, who got a three-year, $24 million contract just before Conklin signed. Now, Uzomah has been cut and Conklin will finish out his contract with the Jets.
Conklin has been a solid weapon for the Jets despite poor quarterback play. He tied his career high with 61 receptions last year and set a new career mark with 621 receiving yards. He did not score a touchdown, but had three in 2022.
The 28-year-old should be a big piece of the 2024 offense with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback.
Morgan Moses
Signed a one-year, $3.6 million contract with $3.1 million guaranteed in 2021
Talk about not signing free agents at the top of the market. This move came in July.
Moses ended up playing 17 games for the Jets at right tackle after Mekhi Becton was injured in Week 1, and he excelled. He gave up just 49 pressures all season and was reliable for the Jets, something they have been struggling to find at tackle for years.
The Jets should have re-signed him in 2022, but decided to go with George Fant and Becton instead. Then they had to sign Duane Brown in August when Becton got hurt again. Moses has played well for the Ravens the past two years.
Signing Moses was a great decision by Douglas. Letting him walk was a bad one.
Three biggest misses
Carl Lawson
Signed a three-year, $45 million contract with $30 million guaranteed in 2021
If you had to ask me for the high point of Lawson’s time with the Jets, it would be early in training camp in 2021. Lawson dominated those practices while hinting Becton might not be as good as we thought he was as a rookie.
Then, Lawson tore his Achilles in a joint practice with the Packers in Green Bay, and he was never the same. After missing the entire 2021 season, he came back and had seven sacks in 2022, but was never truly dominant. He played just six games for the Jets in 2023 and was inactive 11 times. And he did not play more than 23 snaps in any game.
The Jets gave up a lot of money to sign Lawson, and he did not deliver as the pass-rushing force they thought he would be.
Corey Davis
Signed a three-year, $37.5 million contract with $27 million guaranteed in 2021
Through the years, the Jets have tried to find No. 1 wide receivers in free agency, and it almost never works.
Davis was another one of those. He was OK in his two years as a Jet, but he was never what they hoped he would be. He battled injuries in 2021 and played in just nine games, registering 34 catches for 492 yards and four touchdowns. In 2022, he had 32 catches for 536 yards and two touchdowns.
Drops were a regular part of the package with Davis, who only had one 100-yard receiving game with the Jets.
He surprised the team by retiring in Aug. 2023, bringing his disappointing tenure with the Jets to a close.
Laken Tomlinson
Signed a three-year, $40 million contract with $23.9 million guaranteed in 2022
The Jets thought they were signing a sure thing with Tomlinson. He was coming off a Pro Bowl appearance and had played in the same offense in San Francisco.
But Tomlinson was another disappointment. He gave up seven sacks and 51 pressures last season, and the team released him last week for salary-cap savings.
Tomlinson is the latest in a long line of failures along the offensive line for the Jets.
The final score on the Jamal Adams trade
The Seahawks released safety Jamal Adams on Tuesday, ending a stint that began when the Jets traded him to Seattle in 2020.
Four years on, a deal that looked great at the time for the Jets, who got two first-round picks and then some from Seattle for a safety looking for a big contract, looks like one of the best moves in Jets history.
They ended up with Alijah Vera-Tucker and Garrett Wilson through the picks they received from Seattle. Wilson is a potential superstar, and Vera-Tucker looks like he can be a great offensive lineman if he can stay healthy.
Adams ended up playing 34 games in four years with the Seahawks and had just two interceptions. He has battled a lot of injuries in Seattle and now will be looking for a new team.
Adams, though, will have to check his ego — something he never has been good at — and take a lot less money and realize he is no longer a star. Still, at age 28, he should find a landing spot.
It won’t be with the Jets, who have no interest in a reunion with their 2017 first-round pick.
Stat’s so
Garrett Wilson has more receptions in his first two seasons than any other player in Jets history.
Here is a look at the top 10 players in receptions in their first two seasons of their career:
1. Garrett Wilson, 2022-23: 178 receptions (2,145 yards, 7 TDs)
2. Wayne Chrebet, 1995-96: 150 receptions (1,635 yards, 7 TDs)
3. Keyshawn Johnson, 1996-97: 133 receptions (1,807 yards, 13 TDs)
4. Al Toon, 1985-86: 131 receptions (1,838 yards, 11 TDs)
5. Rob Moore, 1990-91: 114 receptions (1,679 yards, 11 TDs)
6. Robbie Chosen, 2016-17: 105 receptions (1,528 yards, 9 TDs)
7. Clark Gaines, 1976-77: 96 receptions (869 yards, 3 TDs)
8. Breece Hall, 2022-23: 95 receptions (809 yards, 5 TDs)
9. Matt Snell, 1964-65: 94 receptions (657 yards, 1 TD)
10. Dustin Keller, 2008-09: 93 receptions (1,057 yards, 5 TDs)
Source: Stathead
