Countdown is on

Edition #588

Good morning ☕

Teams can begin negotiations with free agents next Monday, March 11, at 12 p.m. ET. This means we are less than a week away from seeing the future direction of this team. I fully expect the Jets to make some moves this week to free up some cap space (notes below on that) in preparation for free agency, which could be via trades or more likely restructures. The Zach Wilson situation should also be resolved in the next 7 days. Things are about to heat up.

✂️ The Jets are set to cut C.J. Uzomah which is the least surprising news. Uzomah has been a good leader, but a disappointing player recording 8 receptions for 58 yards and a TD. Back in 2022, he caught 21 passes for 232 yards and two TDs. It’s safe to say this was a move that just didn’t work out and moving on was always likely this off-season. That move frees up $5.3 million in cap space, which takes the Jets total to $26 million in cap space.

⛔ The Denver Broncos confirmed that they were cutting Russell Wilson. What a disaster of a trade that was. Remember the Broncos traded two first-round picks, two seconds, a fifth and players Drew Lock, Noah Fant and Shelby Harris for Wilson and then signed him to a five-year, $264 million contract extension. He went 11-19 with the Broncos. Former Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum did propose a scenario where the Jets signed him to back up Aaron Rodgers, but I’m confident he’ll get some starting QB offers elsewhere. Also, why would he want to play for Nathaniel Hackett again? I would say Wilson to the Jets is very unlikely.

🔵🔴 The Patriots decided to tag Kyle Duggar with the transition tag meaning they can't tag Mike Onwenu…who will likely be a target of the Jets.

🧱 Now the combine is in the books, PFF released their latest mock draft and it had the Jets taking Olumuyiwa Fashanu at #10 overall, saying: “An elite pass-blocker since the moment he took the field at Penn State, Fashanu allowed just 17 total pressures — including just one hit and no sacks — on 733 pass-blocking snaps in college. He wasn’t as dominant as a run-blocker, but he had his best season in that regard this past season, so it’s not difficult to see the projection in the NFL.”

💨 Will the Jets be interested in Marquise Brown in free agency? BetArizona sent me the latest odds yesterday and the Jets have been inserted as the third favourite to sign the deep threat behind only the Tennessee Titans and Baltimore Ravens who are the current betting favourites. Brown caught 51 passes for 574 yards and 4 touchdowns last year and hasn’t been as productive since leaving the Baltimore Ravens after the 2021 season. With Tee Higgins and Mike Evans off the board and Pittman likely to return to Indianapolis, if the Jets can’t afford the asking price for Calvin Ridley, Brown may not be the worst option on the board.

🐆 Old friend Folorunso Fatukasi was released by the Jaguars yesterday and a reunion may make a lot of sense. Fatukasi was an outstanding run defender with the Jets and if there’s one area where we need to improve next year, it’s defending the run. He’s also not been as productive since moving south, so signing a one-year deal with the Jets to be part of a dominant unit may be a good career decision moving forward. The Jets certainly need to prioritise signing some interior defensive lineman considering their current depth chart.

🔵⚪ ESPN believe that Bryce Huff may not be leaving New York…but that’s not because the Jets signed him to a new deal, rather the Giants are selected as the best fit for Huff stating: “With a new defensive coordinator in Shane Bowen, the Giants would benefit from adding Huff -- a flamethrower off the edge -- to play opposite Kayvon Thibodeaux. Last season with the Jets, Huff produced 10 sacks and logged a pass rush win rate of 21.8% (eighth in the league). The Giants, meanwhile, were tied for 28th in sacks with 34.”

➰ In terms of who’s the best fit for the Jets, they select Washington safety Kamren Curl, a player I identified at the start of the off-season as an intriguing addition to the Jet’s secondary. ESPN said: “Curl is a highly instinctive safety who can roll into the front or drive top-down from split-field alignments -- traits that work well in Robert Saleh's system. While I would like to see Curl create more on-the-ball production -- he hasn't had an interception for the Commanders since grabbing three in his 2020 rookie season -- he's a solid pro who could produce in the Jets' defined coverages.”

😂 Connor Hughes confirmed the Jets have zero interest in reuniting with recently released safety Jamal Adams. This was always one of those social media things.

🟢⚪ Signing another offensive weapon for the receiver room is important, but how important?