3 Jets Players Who Could Be Traded

Edition #398

Good morning! ☕

I hope everyone had a good holiday weekend. It was a long weekend here as well, so we managed to get in plenty of family time with some relatives visiting, hence why there was no newsletter yesterday.

We’re back today with a collection of Quick Throws, before hitting on some Jets players who could find themselves on the move before the season starts.

🤝 According to Brian Costello of the NY Post, the Jets and Quinnen Williams are not that far apart on the new agreement, and there is optimism that a deal may get done before the NFL slows down in mid-June. Brian asked a contract specialist what could be holding the deal up “It could be the length of the contract,” Corry said. “The market has been set at four years, so if the Jets want five years, it’s not getting done unless they want to pay through the nose for the fifth year. … Or, if he is looking for $25 million to $30 million per year, that’s the other reason why.”

🚃 Adam Schein posted an article on NFL bandwagons to jump on now, and he had Garrett Wilson at #3 overall: “Yep, I'm that bullish. Why? Well, the guy just racked up 83 grabs for 1,103 yards and four touchdowns with a rotating cast of underwhelming quarterbacks. Now he's catching passes from a four-time MVP. Talking to Aaron Rodgers in a wide-ranging interview on my SiriusXM Radio show, "Schein on Sports," the new Jets quarterback raved about Wilson's ability. But he also lauded the second-year pro's character and football IQ. Rodgers compared those latter elements of Wilson's game to those of four of his favorite receivers: Davante Adams, Jordy Nelson, James Jones, and Randall Cobb.”

🚬 Le’Veon Bell will go down as one of the more disappointing free-agent signings in recent memory, and he’s been talking about his time with the Jets recently: “Bro, the team wasn’t that great, don’t get me wrong, but I feel like if Coach (Mike) Tomlin (of the Steelers) was coaching that team, we win nine games at least,” Bell said during an appearance last week on the “Steel Here” podcast. “It’s to the point where Sam Darnold doesn’t even know like the actual line’s protections because he’s so confused about our offense because the coach is confusing him.” Bell also confirmed that he would smoke weed before games.

✍️ Former Jets draft pick Brandon Shell has signed a free-agent contract with the Buffalo Bills. Shell was a 5th-round pick of the Jets back in 2016 before moving to Seattle for the 2020 season. He spent last year with Miami and will stay in the division.

✈️ Former Jet Cameron Clark, who was forced to retire from football over a year ago due to a serious spinal cord injury, is back with the franchise. Although it’s not 100% clear what his role will be, Clark confirmed that he was back with the organization and looking forward to adding value in “player development”

🔴⚪ ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler named the Jets as a logical destination for free agent wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins: “New York was very close to signing Odell Beckham Jr. before the Ravens came with a compelling offer. The Jets appear open to adding another target for Aaron Rodgers. New York has $6.9 million in cap space but can create more by reworking the salaries of C.J. Mosley ($17 million) and Corey Davis ($10.5 million). A receiver nucleus of Garrett Wilson, Hopkins, Allen Lazard, Mecole Hardman and Davis would be dangerous.” I think it’s all but guaranteed that Hopkins ends up with either the Bills or Chiefs.

There’s nothing wrong with having quality depth. Injuries can ravage the roster and turn a strength into a weakness in a heartbeat.

Last year the Jets offensive line got battered with hit after hit, to a point where we just had to keep going to the free agent pool to add bodies.

The hope is that we can experience some health this year and consistency as a result. But the Jets have some valuable trade assets that may not be in their long-term plans, and may not see the field a whole lot this year.

Here are some players who could be on the move.

Bryce Hall - Cornerback

After being a starter for the Jets and playing nearly 1,200 snaps in 2021, Hall was relegated to the back of the depth chart in 2022 seeing just 15 defensive snaps. He was targeted twice, gave up two receptions for 34 yards and a touchdown, although his coverage on that touchdown was pretty spotless. It’s clear and obvious that Robert Saleh doesn’t really believe in Hall as a fit for his defense, Brandin Echols a 6th-round pick from 2021 saw more action last year than Hall.

Hall is still only 25, has the height, weight and length of an outside corner and in a zone dominant defense can make some plays. Remember this is a guy who had 14 pass defenses in 2021 while playing as a #1 corner. In the right system he has real value, and with him entering the final year of his deal in 2023, it makes sense to move him on to try and recoup some value. You may only get a 5th, but you could try and add an escalator based on him re-signing with his new team in 2024. Trading him after June 1st would also free up over $2.7 million in cap space, handy when you need to sign a big money QB to a new contract and create space for a star defensive tackle.

Denzel Mims - Wide Receiver

For one reason or another, it just hasn’t worked out for Denzel Mims in NY. When he was drafted in the second round back in 2020, some considered him to have WR1 talent, but fast-forward through three seasons and he has 674 receiving yards and 0 touchdowns. He’s had some injuries, some poor coaching, some unfortunate bounces, but it just hasn’t worked.

Now he finds himself deep on a depth chart fighting for a roster spot. Wilson, Lazard, Davis and Cobb are all above him and the Jets have some interesting options like Irvin Charles and Jason Brownlee who could fill in as that big WR5. Trade Mims and you save yourself about $1.3 million and you give him an opportunity to catch on somewhere in the final year of his deal.

Last year Mims caught 11 passes on 25 targets (44%) for 186 yards. He aso had a 15.4% drop rate and 25% success rate on contested catches. I really liked the selection of Mims, but for his sake it’s probably time to move on. Again, you’re probably only getting a 5th, but you may be able to convince a team to give up a 4th for him.

C.J Uzomah - Tight End

I wrote about this for Jets X-Factor recently, and while I don’t think it’s likely due to Uzomah’s leadership ability and position in the locker room, it’s worth monitoring going forward based on his cap charges and the need to get someone like Jeremy Ruckert more game-action.

With a post-June 1 trade, the Jets would save $3.5 million this year, $8 million in 2024, and $1.5 million in 2025. The Jets restructured his contract this off-season pushing money into future void years, but they still can create more room by moving him on, and there will be a few takers for someone like Uzomah.

It’s unlikely for a lot of reasons, one of them is the contract restructure. It’s rare for a team to rework someones deal in the way the Jets did and then trade them.

Uzomah had a disappointing 2021, but I think some of that is based on usage. Uzomah was targeted just once in the red-zone. Imagine that, your 6’5, 270lb TE who has a drop percentage less than 5% was targeted once in the red-zone. He also happened to catch that target for a touchdown, no wonder Mike LaFleur was let go.